Channeler Rising
by squeekness
Summary: Zander learns just what it means to be a Channeler, and unfortunately so do the Xmen. Part 17 of my Kimble series.
1. Chapter 1

Summary : Zander discovers just what a Channeler is for, and unfortunately, so do the X-men. Part 17 of my Kimble series.

Notes : Rated M for language, violence, and sexual situations.

AU but only because I chose to change a few things in my dear friends' histories for simplification, nothing drastic so please forgive. I've been working on this story for years so I do ask that you don't use any of my non-Marvel universe characters without my permission. I love my Siskans as I do my children.

For those who are interested, art for Shattered has been added to my webpage.

**Just to let everyone know, I am going to take a week off and not post next week. I want to catch up on the art for this and some other things that have fallen behind. But I will post the week after that I promise! **

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(One)

It was a gloomy day at the Freedom King's training camp. It was the day after Leon had played his little 'kill the cat for plasma' game and Lakotashay showed up for her sparring practice with Kyle in a foul mood. Leon was falling behind, he hadn't followed her to this session, but he would be along in a moment, she knew this. She was never left alone for long.

Leon and his stupid plasma. She had come off last night's high horny as a bastard with no outlet for it. Really, she had been here for almost three weeks now and hadn't fucked once. The unusually large plasma rush had made her pent up frustration worse. Instead of going on the practice mat, she crossed her arms and glared at Kyle from the doorway. "I wants a man. It's been weeks. I done yer stupid classes, done all yer stupid work. I wanna be fucked now!"

Kyle stood frozen, shocked silent by her outburst. He wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that she had so boldly demanded sex without preamble, or if it was because she had spoken that terrible little child's voice. It was just too creepy. It hadn't occurred to him that the lack of sexual activity would become an issue for her here, but he certainly wasn't about to grant her request. I mean, where was he supposed to get her a man just like that? Gays didn't fall off trees last he checked. Besides, he hadn't liked her tone.

"I don't think so," he snarled at her. "Get on the mat."

'Shay didn't move. "No. Not 'til ya says you'll brings me somebody."

"Forget it. The world doesn't work like that. Now get on the mat."

'Shay just grinned at him then. "All right."

He should have known it was too easy. She came at him and they went to it.

Kyle grunted as he hit the mat hard not a second later, she had clocked him solidly in the temple and he had never even seen it coming. He was a bit dazed from the speed of her attack. Damn, 'Shay was good. She was hard to catch and had tossed him about with uncanny ease. He took a minute to breathe as he lay on the mat, watching as she paced around him restlessly, her hands fisted and her mouth twisted in an arrogant, spiteful sneer. She was powerful, circling around him with a sinister feline grace. Her skills had increased exponentially over a short period of time, her aversion to violence having faded off into the sunset the first day she was here. She was so different than Kimble was. She was raw power, a natural predator, and not the passive, playful creature the Lover had been.

Kyle felt an aching sense of loss at the thought of him, of the Lover. Not once had Kimble popped up since they had come here, not even for a second. Any attempts Kyle had made to draw the Lover out were met by cruel laughter from the Quitter. He was quickly losing faith that resurrecting Kimble was even possible.

"You gitten up, squirt, 'r you all done?" 'Shay taunted in her high pitched child's voice.

Kyle shuddered as he felt red hot rage blast through his heart. He hated this bitch, oh, he hated her badly. He rose stiffly and resumed the match, trying his best to out think her. When they had sparred in the past, he had always held a little back, not wanting to take things to the next level, but quite frankly she was kicking his ass and it was pissing him off. Plus he hated the little bitch.

He gave up on playing nice and lashed out at her, smashing his fist into her face. A little tit for tat.

She took the impact surprisingly well and shuddered, gasping as her legs wobbled. This was the first time he had ever hit her with such force and the result was unexpected. Her face was one huge agony, but it sent a thrill right through her. She took a step back, holding her arms out for balance, and managed not to fall. She was unable to stop herself from laughing, though. Oh, this was good! She liked this, what fine sport. A real challenge for once. She leapt at him, eager now for a real battle and snarling wickedly.

Kyle dodged her and smashed her down again. He had hurt her with that first punch and he knew it, it was enough to cool his head and put him back on his game. Or so he thought. She snatched at his legs and brought him down as well. Not giving an inch, she ensnared him on the mat. She twisted her body around him as they rolled about and tussled, she using her lack of real bones to her advantage, and snaked an arm around his neck, choking him without mercy. She rolled him onto his belly and crushed him down, trickling evil laughter in his ear the whole time.

Kyle felt a moment's panic. He had been taken by surprise again ---- **the bitch! **--- but wasn't going to let her win, no way. He sunk his teeth into her arm, chomping down for all he was worth. 'Shay screamed in pain, but Kyle was shocked when he felt her buck against him and realized to his horror, she had become sexually aroused from their struggle on the mat.

'Shay was in control now of the situation and loving it. Kyle's vibration of panic and the bite had sent a shock right through her that set her on fire, building up some strange new lust from inside of her. She was quickly hard with her new arousal and her groin throbbed with desire. It looked like she would get her way after all, one way or another. If Kyle chose to resist her, well, perhaps she might have an unfortunate accident. If not, she would spend her lust on him by force. Seemed like a win/win situation to her. Leon was nowhere around, he hadn't come in yet. She would not be revived so easily if this happened quickly enough.

She laughed cruelly in Kyle's ear, ready for this, "Oh, yer sweet all right. Fergit findin' someone else, you'll do fer me jus' fine."

Kyle immediately freaked out when he realized what was going on. It had never occurred to him that 'Shay could become aroused by mere fighting, but then she was a sick creature, corrupted and horribly damaged -- and therefore completely unpredictable and dangerous. He squirmed violently in an attempt to free himself, but she gripped him all the tighter. He tried to force her off of him with a telekinetic pulse, but she blocked it with a defensive pulse of her own. The clash of power was mind numbing for both of them, but she refused to release him. She could sense his panic and it encouraged her to continue, giving her a rush that only increased her powerful hold on him. He was wearing sweat pants for this practice, 'Shay managed to get a hand down his underwear and slid a finger down the crack of his ass, all the better to frighten him further.

It worked. He squirmed violently when she pushed against his sensitive opening, threatening a forced entry. She purred at him, her voice pure malice and evil. "Oh, you'll squeal nice fer me, huh? Jus' like a little girl when I fuck you. I'm gonna fuck ya so hard you'll shatter when I cum, baby doll. You'll be my bitch, oh yes!"

Kyle choked on a shriek of terror and his distress came off of him a huge wave of fear and rage. He lashed out with spikes, he couldn't help it. Too late, he realized that this was what she'd been after all along.

Lakotashay offered no resistance as the crystalline spikes ran her through. She was tossed to the side from the force of them and she fell with a dull thud. She thrashed reflexively and grasped at her neck, one of his spikes had lodged in her throat and she was choking. Gel blood sputtered from her mouth and gushed from her belly in a torrent, spilling across the floor in a thick, viscous pool and shimmering as it warmed in the heat of the summer morning air.

Kyle panicked, fearing the repercussions of this worse than the rape she had threatened him with in the first place. He scrambled to his feet and stood for a moment, frozen, unable to tear his eyes away from the pilot writhing in agony on the floor. She didn't look right and then it struck him that he'd expected to see her drenched in red, but her fluids were grey. She was still thrashing in the grey syrupy gel and he gasped in further surprise as her skin flickered and winked out, leaving a strange hollow creature in its place.

The pilot managed to yank the spike free from her throat but then wheezed in Zander's voice, "Get the...fucking ... phone! L-Leon!" Gel poured from his gaping wounds, Zander had no time.

Kyle snapped out of it and immediately reached for the intercom. He pressed the button and shouted for Leon to come at once, from wherever he was. Kyle had wasted his breath, the boy was already on his way and just coming up the path to the shack now, cursing the need for him to be at all of 'Shay's stupid lessons. Leon walked in the door and stood in dumb shock and surprise at what had to be some kind of monster melting into the floor.

"Hurry! It's 'Shay! Toss her some plasma!" Kyle hollered, his voice cracking from his panic.

Leon did as he was told, he launched a good sized ball at her and the pilot's body reached out for it with a groan that could only be Zander's. Zander shuddered at the sudden influx of healing power and his skin turned back on. He shivered and shook violently before rolling over with a groan, smearing gel everywhere. It was already shimmering away in its magical disappearing act, but some of it still clung to his fingers and dripped from his mouth. It would take more than one hit of plasma for him to fully recover. Kyle went over to him immediately and began pulling out more spikes.

"What the fuck wuz that!" Zander snarled, coughing up more gel. He was furious, but still too out of it to move any farther. He'd been deeply asleep and hadn't been prepared for this at all. "You wuz suppozta be careful! You knows I cain't keep watch alla the time!"

"I'm sorry," Kyle offered feebly. He didn't know what else to say, this was too awful.

"Yer sorry! I'll show ya sorry!" 'Shay squealed next, coming back out with a vengeance. Her hands clasped his throat and she squeezed without mercy.

Kyle was ready for her. She wasn't all that strong yet, so he simply used a shield to push her back and then contained her within a bubble, giving her no room to move. He figured she would be too weak from her injuries to resist his shield and he was right. She pushed against the shimmering blue barrier with her hands and feet but wasn't going anywhere. She howled and screamed, swiftly losing control as the frustration overtook her.

Kyle stood over her, his turn now to gloat a little, his arms crossed with fury. He watched as she had her meltdown within her tiny prison, having no intention of letting her out. He was back in control now and the fury overtook him. How dare she think she was going to win, that she would succeed? He was going to show this sick bitch who was boss.

Leon stood by, a strange smile on his face. Now, this was entertaining. He loved a good fight, especially when it was 'Shay getting her ass kicked. Hey, any time it wasn't him on the mat was a good time as far as he was concerned.

'Shay screamed and screamed, smashing herself against the barrier until she ran out of energy and finally despaired, breaking down into wracking sobs. Kyle knelt down next to her and asked her crossly, "You all done?"

"Fuck you, you asshole!" she screamed at him, spitting in her rage and tears.

He stood up and walked away, needing to recover a bit from this painful and frightening episode. He could control the shield from a distance if he wanted to and had no fear of her escaping. He reached for a towel and wiped his face, he was shaking from the close call, but was trying to hide it. The idea of being raped terrified him, he had never before come so close. He hadn't doubted for a moment she would have gone through with it. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing he had been so afraid and so calmed himself with the happy thought of knowing she was now his prisoner. He looked back at her with a triumphant smile. She had found some strength and was back to having a hissy fit, she clawed at the shield with her toe claws, they scratched and scored the inside surface, but she wasn't getting out. He waited until she quieted again and returned. "Now are you done?"

She just sobbed in answer.

He released her finally and she rolled over onto her side, covering her face and looking oddly weak and fragile. She was humiliated and outraged that her control of the situation had been so easy taken. She was swamped with frustration -- she couldn't die, she couldn't fuck. What was the point of even living? She almost wished for release and Kimble shuddered within in response to her wish.

"Kimble, wakes up," Kyle heard Zander whisper.

Kyle stood frozen at the sound of it, new hope making him smile. How he had wished for this.

Leon frowned, he couldn't help it. Not that sicko faggot asshole again.

"C'mon, I kin feels ya movin', Kim. Come out," Zander continued to coax. In the circle of light, he stood with nervous anticipation as Kimble's body shuddered.

"Remy?" Kimble called out in answer. His voice was soft and low, almost too low to hear. "Is that yous?"

"Nawr, he ain't here. 'S jus' me, Kim."

"Go away... Jus' wants ta be dead...that's all." Kimble pulled his body in even tighter and tucked his head under his arms, wondering why it was taking 'Shay so long to finish them. He just wanted to be done with this, with everything.

Kyle stepped back as 'Shay laughed suddenly. She pulled her hands away from her face and glared at him with tear streaked, swollen eyes. "Hah! You wants yer Kimble? Too bad! I don't gits what I wants, you don't gits what you wants! Take that and shoves it up yer lily white ass!"

Kyle scowled and tossed his towel aside in anger.

'Shay slowly crawled to her feet and stood on wobbly legs, her eyes squinted in fury and a crazed line of drool hanging from her chin. Her long loose hair was a mess, her clothes ripped and torn. She was the picture of scandal, a vision of abuse. Tears of frustration poured from her eyes. "You ain't never gonna be rids of me! Kim wants ta die jus' as much as me! We're gonna win, not you an' not you either!" she snarled, pointing a finger at Leon. "You kin keep bringin' us back, it won't matter. Sooner or later, I'll finds a way when yous ain't around!"

"Stupid cunt!" Leon hissed and raised his fists.

"Don't," Kyle cautioned. "She's just trying to get a rise out of you...like she did with me. She's quite good at it."

'Shay stumbled towards the door. Leon had charged her enough to heal her injuries, but she was still very weak. Kyle reached out to assist her, but she spat in his face, hawking a nice big loogy and landing it right in his eye. She had scored well on her Marksmanship and it paid off here. He recoiled with a snarl, wiping at his face, and she kept moving. She shuffled out and made her way over to where a big tree was in the front yard. She curled up under it and covered her face again, sobbing quietly now. Kyle stepped out of the shack and sat on the steps watching her there.

He wasn't entirely without sympathy for her, not in her current moment of weakness. He knew she felt trapped, that she was in pain, but there was nothing he could do for her. Nothing at all.


	2. Chapter 2

(Two)

An hour later and the next shack away, Joshua paced restlessly. 'Shay was late for their practice session and he was easily impatient. He wanted so much for this next and perhaps final session to begin. Zander had done very well with his sword practice and Joshua wanted to see if he was ready to take the next step, the next step towards becoming the Channeler he was destined to be.

Joshua looked up as the pilot shuffled in. She was rumpled and dirty, her hair a mess and her uniform full of holes. She had been given another quick recharge by Leon to finish the repair for her damage, but it had done nothing to improve her disheveled appearance. Clearly something ugly had happened. She came in slowly and sank to her knees with her head down.

"What troubles you this day?" Joshua asked, trying to hide his disappointment. He hated it when 'Shay showed up instead of Zander because she never wanted to learn. She was the biggest impediment in Kimble's evolution into the ShaRain and it was harder and harder for him to deal with her. It seemed as though today's lesson was going to be a wash.

"They won't lets us die," she whispered softly.

He came and knelt down in front of her, lifting her chin a bit with a finger to better look her in the eyes. "There is much for you still to learn. Why do you wish to leave this place before you've seen all it has to offer?"

"Alls it's shown me is pain. Cain't fuck, cain't die. What's the point?"

Joshua latched on to the bait she had tossed him. "Why can't you fuck?"

She looked up at him, looking to see if he was going to offer himself. He wasn't. "Kyle won't brings us a man. I ain't had nuthin' since we come here and I wants it. I asked him, but he sez no and then we gots into a fight. Now he's all mad an' I ain't gittin' nuthin'."

"You didn't ask me," he replied with a disarming smile. This he could use to his advantage.

A perplexed, sad look crossed her face. "You gonna lay with me?"

"No, but I'll see to it Cameron brings you someone who will."

Her face brightened just a little. "Ya will?"

"If you do as I ask."

'Shay's smile faltered, so much like Leon this was. "Who ya wants me ta kill?"

Joshua was shocked silent. That was not the response he had expected and wasn't quite sure how to reply. The question had weight, something had occurred that he was unaware of. Odd that he had not seen it. "Why would I want you to kill someone?"

"That's how it works. I kills, then I gits what I wants."

"And who asks this of you?"

Lakotashay was no fool, she could read the shines. This one didn't know what she was talking about and he was afraid of it, not of her but of his plans being ruined. He wouldn't stop the game Leon had invented, more cats would perish. He cared not one bit about them. "Fergit it. 'S nuthin'."

"You brought it up, my dear."

"I'm supposed ta show that I'm willin'. That I'll do it if I hafta...fer the team he says."

Joshua smiled. This was unexpected and most welcome. "Yes. It is important that you are willing to take that final step. Our safety is important. Now, I do not wish for you to kill anyone. I just want you to use your power."

"Whatcha wants me ta do?"

"I want you to make a shield, but I want you to change the shape of it. I want you to make a sword just like you make the spikes."

'Shay frowned. "I cain't... It's too hard."

"Don' worry none, darlin'. 'S piece of cake," Zander crowed happily, coming out in response to the challenge. This would be something he would enjoy and it was enough to make him come all the way out to savor it.

Joshua smiled now. "Zander, my son. How good of you to come."

The Punisher just laughed his deep gravelly chuckle and stood up. He tore off the remains of his ripped up shirt and tossed it, standing tall and flexing his muscles, asserting himself as masculine. He closed his eyes and growled softly in a gentle croon as he cleared his mind and concentrated. He held up his hands and slowly conjured a sword as the albino had asked. It was misshapen and useless, but it was a start. He was silent, working hard, and Joshua didn't interfere. The blade finally smoothed out and became a near perfect representation of Valentin's huge broadsword. It was clear and twinkly like a large crystal, but if it was anything like the shields he could make, it would be virtually unbreakable. Zander looked at it shimmering in his hands and shivered as something passed through him, a ripple of power. This felt right. This was supposed to be here. It belonged in his hands. "This okay?" he asked in a breathless whisper.

"Yes, my son. It's perfect," Joshua said proudly, unable to hide his smile. Cameron would be so pleased. "I want you to practice this. Make it fast, make it quick. This way, you will always have a weapon. I know you have done well with Michael and learned the guns, but guns run out of bullets. You must be ready for anything. This will help you, I have seen it. When you can produce it fast as lightening, I will bring 'Shay a man and she will be happy."

"All right," Zander replied, pleased with himself. He needed no reward, he had learned something new and it made him immensely happy. He glowed with pride at Joshua's praise. He would learn this and so much more. Of course he would. He was the Punisher and he had no doubt that it would be put to good use.

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It was evening a week later, when Kyle stood on the porch, his arms crossed in irritation. He watched as the long stretch limo pulled up and Cameron got out. Cameron wasn't alone, he had come with two men Kyle recognized as male prostitutes from the public side of the Club. Kyle hadn't mentioned 'Shay's little fit to Cameron, but clearly someone else had. It must have been Joshua. There was so much going on behind Kyle's back and it made him angry.

Cameron beamed up at him, his face all smiles and cheer. "Hey, Kyle! Long time, no see. How's it going, huh? Our little guest doing better?"

"Yeah, Her Majesty is doing just fine," Kyle replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He was much too angry to be placated by Cameron's smiles. For the first time, it all seemed so fake and choreographed, Cameron's charm was fading.

The man didn't seem to sense it. He patted Kyle's back and said, "Now, now. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. He'll be fine. Just fine."

Kyle didn't argue any further, but watched as Cameron walked in the house, greeting Nate with his usual charm. The more Cameron laid it on, the more Kyle was disgusted by it. He was growing more and more distrustful of his boss. _Maybe_ _I'm just waking up and seeing who he really is_, Kyle thought to himself. _Guess it was bound to happen sooner or later._

Cameron asked for 'Shay and she came down the stairs from her room, her head down in a pout.

She had been like this since her little fit, a stoney little empress, dissatisfied with everything around her. She spoke to no one and did her training in an arrogant silence, her face a mask of rage barely held in check. She had little to be happy about, really. Leon continued to bring her cats, forcing her to find new and interesting ways to kill them. His current favorite was when she pulled them apart while they were still alive. 'Shay had grown numb to the cruelty of it, she no longer looked at their shines or thought of their pain, She only wanted the plasma. Leon rewarded her generously as always and she retreated into a steady rhythm of nightly plasma highs. It was the only way she could sleep.

A week had passed since Zander had begun making the swords. He had soon learned how to conjure them perfectly and quickly and 'Shay was eager for her reward as promised, but so far, nothing had happened. She was convinced it had all been a lie, that she was being jerked around. She blamed Kyle for this. Their relationship had not improved and they were at the point of communicating only in single word sentences.

Cameron saw her pout and didn't like it. It was disrespectful. "Is that any way to greet your Master?" he asked, not hiding his irritation.

She said nothing but glowered at him from the foot of the stairs.

"Down, now!" Cameron shouted and pointed to the floor with all the authority of the Master he was. 'Shay responded reflexively, she had no choice, and she dropped to her knees like a stone. It pained her, but her obedience to the command was automatic and beyond her control. She was only obeying the rules of her programming and she couldn't resist. On her hands and feet, she came crawling and lay her lips on his feet.

"There, that's better," Cameron purred, satisfied. He couldn't explain it, but it was quite the rush to see the pilot react unquestionably like that. His ego was stroked better than any compliment and his chest puffed out a little.

Kyle snorted, unable to hide his disgust at the sight of it.

Cameron either ignored it or didn't even see it. He continued to speak to his slave as if she were a child. "Now 'Shay, I brought you a present, but you won't have it if you're going to act like a spoiled little brat."

"Sorry, Master," she mumbled softly.

He cupped her chin to have her look at him. He couldn't hide the fact that he grown quite used to his new role. He would never tire of the sight of this glorious creature groveling before him. "Are you going to be good, my sweet?"

"Yes, Master."

"All right then. I've been very pleased with your lessons. You've done well. Look what I've brought you."

'Shay looked to where Cameron had pointed. Her frigid smile warmed when she saw the two men lounging in the foyer. She didn't recognize them from the Club, but his words had filled her with hope. "Thems fer me?" she asked. One of them winked at her and smiled, giving his own reply.

"Yes. A little reward. Joshua tells me you've made remarkable progress in your work, especially with the sword."

It was true. Zander had done as he was asked and more. He'd gone through all the tapes and lessons as well as the next step of conjuring it himself. He could produce a quality sword on demand with a mere flick of his wrist. Cameron was already seeking another instructor to continue Zander's studies, one more talented in swordplay than Joshua. The albino was really little more than an amateur. At least he didn't quibble about it, Joshua was all too eager to go back to New York City and Cameron would take him back with him when he left here tonight.

'Shay walked over to the men and sniffed at them, checking them out and appraising their quality. The one who had smiled at her leaned towards her and boldly gave her a kiss in invitation, offering her his tongue. She took it and kissed him, retreating after with the tiniest of smiles. They were young, but not very pretty. Whatever. "Kin I takes them now?" she asked without enthusiasm. She wanted them, sure, but was still in a low mood from her frustration.

"Sure. Have a good time," Cameron said awkwardly. He had expected a more vibrant response.

She ignored her Master and tugged on her presents, dragging them upstairs. They followed her like sheep, they had been warned in advance Kimble was a mutant and were being paid handsomely.

Cameron watched her go, a perplexed look on his face.

"I told you Her Majesty was being an asshole. Now you see it for yourself," Kyle snapped. Maybe now he could get Cameron to see what he had been dealing with.

"Hmm. No sign of Kimble?" Cameron was asking only to be polite. He was more than happy that Kimble was gone, the pilot's training was progressing much more quickly with the Lover gone. Soon he would have the warrior Joshua had promised. It was all coming true.

"Almost once. When she was weak, I think Zander saw him start to wake up. He never made it out," Kyle replied sadly, unable to hide his remorse.

"Well, maybe he'll be better after this."

Kyle snorted and turned away. His boss's insincerity was ill concealed. Kyle walked out onto the porch and sat on the railing, wanting desperately to be somewhere else. In one of his aeries preferably. He missed Gail badly and was sorry for the way she had been killed, he had known that Kimble had really loved her. Thinking back on it now, he had to smile. Kimble cutting class just so he could make love to her. Kyle remembered the sound of her laughter, how much more satisfied and full of life it had become, and how it had pleased him. At least she had gotten that one thing before she was gone, she got to know real love.

Kyle looked up into the night sky and saw a star twinkling. "Gail, honey, if you're out there and if you got any pull with the powers that be, help me," he whispered softly. "Help me to help Kimble. I've got no clue what to do. I really don't."

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'Shay had no concern for Kyle or her frustration. She had been given what she had asked for and she was going to waste no time taking what she wanted. She barged into the room she shared with Leon, making the boy jump in surprise. He had been playing with his Game Boy and doing quite well.

"Git out," she barked rudely at him.

He started to protest until he saw who she was with. He made a face of disgust and stomped out, his head down with anger.

'Shay looked at the men and felt oddly disinterested. Now that they were here, she wasn't quite sure what to do with them. She was not the Lover and didn't have his skill in this area. With him gone, she didn't have that sense of duality she'd enjoyed so much in the Club. She wanted to lay with men, but it was his finesse and art that had made the experience truly enjoyable. The men stood nervously, unsure of what to do next. The one who had expressed his interest in her introduced himself as Jacob and took the initiative by kissing her again. He was only a whore, but the pilot was beautiful, making this easy for him. 'Shay relaxed and let them take her, closing her eyes and letting go with her anger.

It didn't last.

She had enjoyed them, she really had. She'd been sucked and fucked to her satisfaction, pampered beyond belief. Whatever she had wanted, they did for her with smiles and laughter. They gave her the favored spot, in the middle, and laughed as she shivered and climaxed with thunderous shivers. She didn't let them have the backwash, the rush of power that made it fun for them all. That was Kimble's special gift and his alone. It didn't matter, the men performed as expected and saw to it she was satisfied.

It was fun, but it wasn't going to be enough to hold her anger in check, she soon realized. When they were finished, when she was just starting to feel some peace, the guys began joking around with each other as they dressed, laughing about what they were going to do when they got back home. Their idle chatter irritated her. She was at the window now, trying to get some air. Her room had became small, it was now a trap and the walls began to close in on her. They could do whatever they wanted while she was stuck here in this prison. They were going to leave this place while she was forced to remain.

A terrible wellspring of anger took her and in one swift movement, she sent out a wave of spikes at them. She had reacted much too quickly for Zander to interfere and it was over in a twinkling. The boys screamed in shock and surprise as they were impaled by these weapons that had come out of nowhere. Jacob didn't last. He caught a large one in the throat and it almost took his head clean off. It took him less than a second to die. He fell to his knees on the floor, spraying arterial blood all over the walls. The other was fatally wounded as well, he had four spikes in his guts and the blood was coming out of his belly, dark and thick. He lay gasping and twitching next to his partner, not quite sure what just happened. It didn't matter. He passed out, never to wake again.

'Shay stood quiet as the door burst open. The men hadn't been anywhere near silent as they had fallen and died. She'd heard them come, her new Masters. They came stomping up the stairs all angry and put out. Kyle freaked when he saw what she had done and had to be forcibly dragged away, he wanted to kill her. "You bitch!" he howled in his outrage.

Cameron stood as he was without speaking, watching the two men die with casual disinterest. His first thought was, _Wow. I never saw that coming_. The next was _Why?_ He tried to work the mess in his mind and came up with nothing that could explain this. He looked at the pilot who stood so angry and beautiful in front of the window. "Did they displease you?"

"Kill me," she demanded.

"No."

"Kill me! I killed thems so ya hafta kill me! That's the law! I read it in yer books!"

So that's what this was, Cameron now realized. He wasn't about to let her get away with it. She had to learn quickly that this tactic wasn't going to work. He couldn't have her slicing people up at the drop of a hat. "I am the Master! You will not take that tone with me! How dare you do this thing? I bring you fine fresh young men to play with and this is how you show your gratitude!"

'Shay burst into tears and turned away. She smashed both fists through the window in a desperate bid to end this terrible suffering and tried to cut herself on the jagged shards of glass, but Zander pushed and shoved within, forcing her back until Cameron could come closer and restrain her properly.

Cameron stomped over, trying not to fall. The two men 'Shay had so senselessly murdered had quieted, but the floor was slick with their blood. When he saw she hadn't even cut herself on the glass, he grabbed her hair and tossed her down to the floor like a dog that had piddled on the carpet. "What is this crap! You will obey me!"

Lakotashay fell and stayed down. Tears were streaming from her eyes. "I cain't do this no more! It hurts so bad! Jus' kills us, please!" she wailed, swallowed up inside with pain.

Cameron took advantage of opportunity. He took a fistful of her hair and dragged her face up to his before shouting, "You will never be free of me! I am your Master! You will do as I say! You won't be allowed to die, you understand me? Never! You are mine to do with as I please and you will obey me! I want you to swear you will obey! You will protect me and the team! That is your job, your function here! Swear it!"

She broke down and cried. It would be the last time for a long while to come.

"Swear it!"

"I-I swears!" she said and let go of it all with one great sob. The light died out of her eyes and she was drowned in a great blank nothing. She wouldn't fight anymore, what was the point? She saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing. Just the same, she wouldn't give up control, no, she was much too selfish for that. The pilot's body remained hers.

"I swear, what!"

"I swear to the Master I will protects him and the team," she said in a tiny dead voice.

"Good. Now clean this mess up," he snarled and walked away, leaving her alone and miserable to contemplate her terrible crime.

'Shay did as she was had been commanded. She found some towels in the tiny attached bathroom and started to mop up the blood. She could hear Kyle howling his rage and disgust from downstairs, it stopped only when he had been sedated and put to bed. She knew she had disappointed him but she didn't care. She wasn't Kimble, she had no desire to please anyone but the Master and even then it wasn't true desire, it was only programming. There was no love in her heart for anyone.

It took the pilot a long time to clean up the mess. Nate came up silently and carried the bodies away, saying nothing and assigning no blame. He had seen much worse – this was a camp for the unruly and out of control, the worst of Cameron's pack, and just like the X-men, there was a small unmarked graveyard in the back.

'Shay mopped and mopped with the towels, heaving up gel every so often when she was overcome by the terrible stench of her slaughter. The blood was everywhere, it was on her hands, it was in her long flowing hair from her leaning over the puddles as she sopped up the mess. The smell of it made her sick.

_Hope yer happy, now_, Zander said.

She didn't respond. There was nothing left inside of her now. She knew she should feel sorry for the two men, they had pleased her and this wasn't their fault, but she didn't feel a thing. For all the cats Leon had brought her this past week? Nothing. For two dead prostitutes? Even less. Cameron had his ice cold gangster killer. She was right here in this tiny room mopping up blood with nary a tear in sight.

Zander cursed her and sat down in the circle of light, pissed off. He was aggravated that his reaction time had been so slow. He just wasn't strong enough to stay out all the time, not just yet. The workouts tired him and he was forced to retreat. When he saw the prostitutes, he figured this was 'Shay's deal and had checked out for while. He was paying the price now for that lapse in judgement. What to do?

He looked across him at Kimble and felt a great sense of loss. The pilot was still balled up, his back to the screen. _When had things gotten so out of control?_ he asked himself, though he already knew the answer – when they left the X-men. When they left Remy behind. That pretty boy had never done much for Zander but he couldn't deny the mutant's value. Gambit's love had calmed the Lover's fears and his rage and made the Lover feel like he was worth something. Those were the things that would keep the Quitter in her place. All that was gone now. This grand experiment in leaving the grounds had blown up in Zander's face. The way Zander saw things now, their only hope was to get back to the X-men, but how was he possibly going to pull that off? He would have to be stronger and pay more attention. He wasn't about to let the Quitter let this get any worse than it already was.

--------------------------------

Later that night, Leon came into their new room, walking cautiously around the pilot as he found his bed. He had no idea what she was going to do next. He had been taken by surprise at first as the rest of the team had been by what she'd done, but then when he thought of the cats, realized it wasn't so different after all. What he was unsure of was how she would react to him. He would have to be cautious in what he said so that he didn't end up on the floor as the prostitutes had.

Lakotashay ignored him. She sat silently on her bed, her face still and dead. She was freshly showered and there was no trace of blood on her skin or hair. It had taken her hours to clean up the mess and she had been quite thorough, but Leon insisted he wanted a new room anyway. He wouldn't sleep where two men had died, especially two faggot boys at that. He walked around his roommate, marveling at her stillness, it was as though she were a statue.

She was crouched on the bed, her hands and feet tucked under her and her head down.

"Hey, you," he said, daring to poke her with a finger.

She didn't move.

He sat on his bed and got comfortable. "You were right to kill them," he said. "They were little faggot boys. I told Cameron that stuff was wrong, that it was bad, but he never listens to me."

She raised her head and looked at him with her dead, pale eyes.

"It's true," he continued, seeing he now had her attention. "It's a sin to be a faggot, the Bible says so."

Lakotashay tried to absorb that thought. Yes, Nightcrawler had given them a Bible and Kimble had tried to read it, but he hadn't gotten very far. "What's a sin?" she asked softly.

Leon smiled now, in his element. He would instruct her, oh yes. "It's doin' something bad. You know, like suckin' dicks or takin' it in the ass. The only time you're supposed to have sex is to make babies, that's it. Can't do that with no guys."

"We cain't make no babies, not ever."

"Then you shouldn't be fucking. Haven't you wondered why nothing seems to be working out for you? God's punishing you for being a whore."

'Shay shuddered with a strange realization, Leon's words made a kind of sense. She was a whore. A no good, useless piece of garbage. "So, if we don't ever fuck no more, God'll let us die? It's the only thing I wants."

"Well, suicide's a sin, too. The only way you can die is to let God kill you."

'Shay's brow creased with confusion. This was like running in circles. Yes, No, Maybe. Was this just another game? "How does he do that?"

"When he thinks it's time, he lets it happen. It's different for everybody. Some of us get sick, others get shot or hit by cars. We don't know how it will be, only that it will happen. 'Till then, you have to do your work and stop being so much trouble."

The Quitter tried to sort this out into something she could understand. "So if I'm good, I'll gits to die?"

"Not just die, but you'll be with God up in Heaven having fun all the time. Everybody dies. It's just a matter of when." Leon instructed, his voice carrying authority. Of course he conveniently left out the parts about "Thou shalt not Kill", that didn't apply to ugly old cats and stinking male whores.

Lakotashay put her head down again. "I hopes it won't be too long. I hates it here."

"The only reason we're here is because of you. If you behave, we'll get to go back to the City. I heard Cameron talk about it. He's got some jobs for us, but he's waiting to see if you're going to be good. He's really mad about those guys you wasted. At least he doesn't have to pay them now, I guess."

"I'll be good," she said softly. Really, what choice did she have?

"Good. Now go to sleep. I'm tired."

Leon shut the light off and crawled into bed. 'Shay stayed as she was, listening to his breathing change. She would behave, she would pull the jobs Cameron wanted. She could care less about this place, she figured the City was as big a trap as this, it just had more buildings in it. Perhaps if she was good, this God would let her die.

Zander didn't argue, he was actually glad to hear the news. A trip to the City was a chance to be noticed. Maybe he could find a way to get some kind of signal out. He promised himself to be patient and not let any opportunities go to waste.


	3. Chapter 3

(Three)

After the unfortunate incident at the Camp, 'Shay had really calmed down. She did as she was told without argument and completed her training, no longer fighting anything. She didn't cry or express any emotions, she had shut everything off and moved about as if in a fog. She did as she was told and then lay in bed, silent. Leon continued to test her with Headmaster Nate's cats and she did as she was told, wishing only for the plasma to take her away from all this.

Kyle had recovered from his shock at the Quitter's heartless murders, but he was still shaken. He was even more puzzled by 'Shay's mask of apathy, he didn't trust it. He knew well enough that she was merely hiding, who knew when that mask would fall and Cameron's little killer would pop out?

Lakotashay's training resumed as planned and Cameron was pleased with her progress. He decided a little test was in order to see how she would fare in a real world operation. To this end he planned a series of simple break-ins and robberies here in Baltimore. He wanted to shake down some enemies anyway and desired some extra cash, his regular supply of money was all tied up in repairs to his Club. If 'Shay proved capable, he would have her officially assigned to a regular team, probably with Kyle.

After a couple more weeks of training, they moved out of the training camp and to another house, this one in Baltimore proper. They settled in, happy to be back in the city where there was decent television reception and other entertainments. As before, 'Shay was bunked with Leon. No one saw any need to change that, it seemed the two had formed a sort of friendship, at least that what it looked like on the surface now that Lakotashay was no longer resisting her Master.

'Shay entered the house, carrying her baggage, and found her room. She plopped her bag on the floor, lay on her bed and shut off, moving only after Kyle called her to tell her Cameron had arrived. She shuffled out to meet her Master, dropping down submissively, her eyes cold and empty.

As a token of his appreciation for all her hard work, Cameron wanted to give 'Shay a present. Not whores, he had learned his lesson there, but something far more valuable in his eyes. He gestured to a wooden box on the table. She opened the box numbly and looked down at two high powered handguns, a pair of Desert Eagles and highly prized. They were pretty all right, but did nothing to raise the shroud of blank emptiness she had become. There was nothing here to relieve her pain, any attempt to use these as she truly wished would be thwarted.

"Don't you like them?"

"Yes, Master," she said softly and withdrew without another word.

Kyle sat quiet, watching her with distrust. He had been given medications to calm his jangling nerves, but it did little to help. He was trapped here, waiting for 'Shay's next act of brutal violence. The killings of the two male prostitutes went unnoticed in the public and she was never punished. He had expected more trouble but she had changed, seemingly this time for good.

'Shay did as she was told, saying only "Yes, Master," or "No, Master," , even to him. He had become the mouth of Cameron and she deferred to him as such. She completed all the lessons she was given. She practiced the sword with her advanced instructor and had mastered it. She could conjure it at will as Zander had, she knew all of his lessons and would perform them on command without fail. She could break down or assemble any gun she was given and she was now an excellent shot.

Lakotashay was dead inside. She did not smile or laugh anymore. She didn't play or do anything for pleasure. She did her work, took her hits of plasma, and lay in bed until called for. Kyle couldn't know of all of her activities of course. Leon still brought her cats and she killed them without passion. The night before they had left for Baltimore, he grew tired of that and dragged her to the barn where he ordered her to slaughter a cow with her bare hands. No powers. She did so, no mean feat in spite of her superior Siskan strength. The cow was swift and evasive, she had to stalk it down and climb on top of it to get a good enough grip on its head to snap its neck. Later, Leon finally let her use her power fly the carcass away so it wouldn't be found. Kyle never learned of it.

Now, their first day in the City, Leon had brought her a present of his own. He called it a test of her will, of her commitment to their cause. He gave her a bundle in some rags. She pulled the dirty rags back to see it was a human baby. Leon wouldn't say where he had gotten it, only that someone owed him a favor and he had been waiting until they came to this house to cash it in. It might have been a lie, but the Quitter was beyond caring. 'Shay looked own at the tiny creature nestled in her arms as the cat had been. It was deformed, but not a mutant. She could see its shine shimmering in an unhealthy way. It was already dying.

"Kill it," Leon ordered. "It's a norm. They are all a threat to us, to the team. Show me you will honor your promise."

Cold, dead 'Shay looked down on it and saw nothing. "You'll give me plasma?"

"Don't I always?"

"I wants ta be real high." It was the most she had said in days.

"Sure."

She did as she was told. It was a mercy, right? The child was dying. The truth was, it wouldn't have mattered. She killed it, twisting its tiny neck just as she had the cats. It died without making a sound, its tiny voice silenced by her vicious wrenching. She lay the dead infant down like a used up doll and took her hit of plasma. She lay down on her bed, buried in blankets, wanting only oblivion. Later, when Kyle came to check on her, she was stoned and laughing softly to herself, the only time she ever made a happy noise. The baby was gone, the evidence taken away. All Kyle saw was an empty living corpse in the shape of a man he had grown to miss more than anything laying on a bed, stoned beyond coherence. 'Shay was a terrible accident waiting for a place to happen.

Kyle didn't have to wait long, it happened a week later. They had performed the various office raids as Cameron had wanted and at first things seemed to go okay. What Kyle knew now was that they had only gotten lucky in the beginning -- in those first raids they hadn't been interrupted and 'Shay had been content merely to cover their backs. But when they raided the Baltimore Friends of Humanity office and that security guard stumbled in upon them, Kyle had stood in numb shock there while she blew that security guard away lik eit was nothing. He was horrified, not quite sure what to do. He never saw the security cameras that were filming them, but Zander did.

It wasn't Kimble that looked up and made that plea for help, oh no. The Lover was still curled up and away from the world. It was Zander. He saw the cameras and figured the X-men just might be able to help him out. He did his best Kimble imitation and begged for mercy. He had no way of knowing SHIELD would get to the disc first.

When they got home, Kyle went off on Cameron for making him take 'Shay along. Cameron wasn't the least bit fazed. She had been ordered to protect and she had done so, what was the big deal? The big deal was SHIELD of course. The video was all over the news and now Kyle was looking at a death sentence if he got caught. He had never been in that position before. A battle between factions was one thing, this time an innocent had been killed. Cameron was trying to reassure him, he was using his connections to try and squash the video, but Kyle was swiftly losing patience.

Cameron did his best to sooth Kyle's jangled nerves. "Pull one last job for me and then we will go into hiding. It'll all go away."

"What job?"

"Smithfield Bank."

"Are you nuts? 'Shay will kill everyone! I won't be party to a slaughter!"

"It'll be all right. I'm giving you Franklin. He's a teleporter. There will be no reason for panic. You 'port in, take the money, 'port out. Simple."

Kyle had wept, he was losing it. For the first time in his life, he was really losing it.

"I'm sending them in, Kyle. It'll go faster with you than without you."

"This is it, my last job."

"Yes, the last job."

Kyle had no choice but to agree. He mumbled his assent and walked out.

-------------------

"You get all that?" Wolverine grumbled.

"Loud 'n clear, mon ami."

Remy sat back in the driver's seat and rubbed his eyes. Cameron was an idiot, thank God. This house was unprotected and it hadn't taken long for him to break in and plant bugs all over it so they could listen in. They were going to take Kimble, they were just planning the best way to get in there and were picking the right moment to act. He and Logan and Rogue were parked just outside and a tape player was looping on the space between the front seats, recording everything.

"Kyle's ready to crack," Rogue observed.

Gambit wasn't on good speaking terms with her still, they were doing a good job of not speaking about the elephant in the room between them, but he couldn't disagree with her comment. There was no mistaking the sound of a man on the edge. It was something he was very familiar with. He looked at Logan. "We goin' in, or what?"

"Nope. We call SHIELD."

"What for, bunkie?" Rogue was asking. She was in the backseat, poking her head up to the front.

"To do this right, we're gonna set up Kyle at the bank. SHIELD gets the gang, we get Kimble. I already got it worked out. They'll back us up. It'll go down nice and easy."

"What makes you t'ink dey gonna give Kimble up after 'e kill dat guy?"

"Fury owes me a favor."

Nick Fury was the head of SHIELD and he and Logan had a long history together. They met in the field when Wolverine was in the service and still pulling odd jobs for the US Government as well as Canada. They got along well and their friendship was lasting, it wasn't so much favors owed as mutual respect passed back and forth. If Logan really wanted this, it would happen.

"B'sides..." Logan continued, "Fury'll get Kyle and Kyle's gonna give 'em Cameron. He's the one Fury really wants anyhow."

"Why Kyle gonna do dat?"

" 'Cause 'Shay just made sure he's gonna get the death penalty if he don't."

"Let's get outta here, this girl is starvin'," Rogue commented.

It was late and they were all hungry. They pulled away and went to a diner close to the hotel they were staying in. Logan watched as Remy pushed the food around on his plate without eating very much of it. He was under Henry's orders to eat, but wasn't holding up his end very well. At least he had stopped smoking, though Logan figured it was probably only temporary. The boy was really quiet, keeping to himself. It wasn't just because Rogue was here, Gambit was actually behaving well considering. He didn't start any arguments and wasn't his usual cocky self. Logan knew Henry had put Remy on several medications including an anti-depressant and figured it was probably the drugs making him feel down.

When a group of young girls came in, Wolverine realized he couldn't be more wrong. Like a hunter, Remy's eyes went up and his nostrils flared slightly, breathing in their smells as they walked by. One of them noticed him and winked. Remy shuddered, he couldn't help it. His face flushed with arousal, but his eyes held only tortured pain. He couldn't touch them, he didn't dare. He could have another freak out climax and lose it, maybe somebody might get hurt. It was stamped plain as day on his face and his fear came off of him as a slight change in scent. Logan could smell it, but didn't understand the why of it. Remy tore his eyes away and scowled down at his plate, unhappy.

Logan wasn't about to ask him about it, certainly not at the table with Rogue here. Wolverine knew Henry must have given Gambit medications though there was no smell to prove it. What Logan could sense, he couldn't exactly define. Gambit was crumbling, his scent was off and had been ever since he'd been recovered from Boston. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Gambit's scent had been off ever since they had come off the Lucky Dragon and it was only getting worse. There wasn't a whole lot Logan could do about it except to keep a more watchful eye on his teammate and this he would do.

They finished eating and went to the hotel where they caught up with the others. The whole Blue team had been sent out here to Baltimore with a some new recruits to back them up and fill out their ranks. No one had any idea what to expect and they wanted to be as prepared for anything as possible. Jean and Scott had come down with them from the beginning, but were later joined by Iceman and Warren. Once they had Cameron's house staked out the next wave came down, consisting of Storm and Nightcrawler, plus a couple of new people, Trevor and Casey.

Trevor was a cheery young fellow. His power was not unlike Bobby's, but he could turn things to a kind of stone instead of ice. He could change his body into a moving rock hard statue that was unbreakable as well as construct walls and hurl conjured rocks from his fingers. He was a bit of a chatterbox, but handy to have around. Casey was a telekinetic, but not as powerful as Jean. She was young but doing well in her training, she was nearly ready for the trials to be placed on a team full time. In spite of not yet being qualified for a team, she would be useful defensively.

Logan was happy to see that Kurt had arrived with Storm, the teleporter would prove to be a vital asset. He could teleport small groups, but left behind a calling card. Like the demon he appeared to be, he jaunted with a soft bamfing noise and a cloud of sulfur smelling brimstone smoke. He greeted Logan with a cheer, and they left to go have a drink, a little calm before the storm of the coming operation.

Gambit declined their offer to go out, again on Henry's orders but he really wasn't in the mood. He walked up to his room and lay down to brood.

He hadn't liked the voices he'd heard on the tape. Not once had Kimble spoken, it was always Lakotashay and her voice was a flat dead nothing. It broke his heart and he was trying desperately to keep himself under control. The fact was he was in a constant emotional turmoil. He hadn't been right since the day he walked out of Xavier's after his fight with Rogue.

The two months he had been gone still haunted him. He couldn't get the sight and smell of those girls from the diner out of his mind. He wanted them so badly he could taste them in his mouth, feel them shiver under his fingertips. His desire for them was matched only by his loneliness. He knew if he went back there, he could easily get one or more of them in bed. He'd done it a hundred times, he could do it as easily as breathing. He wanted it, almost needed it to take away this pain that was growing inside of him. It was what would happen after that frightened him. He couldn't control his new power and didn't know if his backwash could damage anyone. What if it caused his bio-kinetic energy to go out of control? He'd been there before and wanted none of it. What was he going to do? He needed help. He needed Kimble here so the pilot could help him through this. He just didn't think anyone else would understand.

He was still better off than he had been before, he would admit that much. He didn't know where he would have ended up if Wolverine hadn't showed up in Boston to bring him home. He had been sick past the point of being able to eat and wanted only to die in a ditch somewhere. He had been rescued and the medications Henry had prescribed for him were helping t take te very edge off. The pain in his guts was gone and he could think more clearly, but no magic pill was going to block out the emotional vibrations he was being bombarded with almost constantly. He was surrounded by people and they were swamping him. He could tone down some of the worst vibrations, but it was exhausting. He wanted a drink, he wanted a nice big pill to make his mind shut off.

So, all that crap aside, here he was, back to work again. He was trying to see how they were going to pull this off without Kimble getting killed, but it was looking less and less real. Logan wanted to wait until the bank robbery to retrieve their wayward Siskan, but Remy failed to see how any cop wasn't going to just blow Kimble's brains out on sight. He had made a promise to Seth he wasn't sure he could keep.

Seth had been pensive and paced restlessly on the grass while the team loaded up the Explorer for the trip down here. Remy noticed and went over to him to offer him some comfort. Seth looked up at him as he came over, unable to hide his relief that he'd been noticed. His eyes were filled with adoration and worship as he took in Gambit's face. "You won't let them kill Kimble, right?"

Remy nodded and pulled Seth into his arms, something he wouldn't normally do to anyone else, and gave him a good squeeze. Gambit tried to ignore the vibration of worry that cascaded into him from the contact. Seth's vibrations had been the strongest he'd felt so far from anyone and the hardest for him to hide from. He didn't know that the sensitivity was mutual, Seth had never commented that he felt what Remy was silently releasing. Seth had done his best to be supportive and was grateful to have Gambit as his friend. Remy was glad for it as well, it was Seth's love for Kimble that helped him through all this. Holding Seth was like holding Kimble. "Gambit's gonna really try," he promised.

Seth could feel a strong vibration of Remy's love, but also sensed Remy's fear of failure. Seth wanted to make Gambit feel better, he was sorry he had put so much pressure on the thief. "I know you will. Whatever happens, happens."

Gambit backed up and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a bar of chocolate and opened it. "Anyone ever give you any of dis, mon ami?"

"No," Seth replied. It was the one thing he hadn't gotten around to yet.

Gambit broke off a small piece and gave it to him. He smiled when he saw the look of delight on Seth's face as he enjoyed what he was given. "Dis yo' brother's favorite. Mine, too. You take dis bar, neh? When you scared an' lonely while we both gone, you take a piece and we both gonna be wit you, 'kay?"

"Okay," Seth replied softly, tears spilling from his eyes.

" 'Ey, now. Dere be none of dat now, mon petit fils," Remy said, wiping them away._ Mon petit fils_, my little son. It was his new nickname for Seth and it kind of stuck. It showed how he felt loving and protective towards Kimble's younger brother. "You be strong now. Gambit's gonna call you."

"Every night?"

"Every night, though I'm 'opin' we won't be gone dat long."

"Every night. You know I'm always up late. It's okay if you call late," Seth stammered, not really wanting Remy to go. He felt a bond with this man he couldn't explain. It was like there was something electric and magical, like Remy was some kind of knight and everything was going to be okay so long as he was around.

Gambit gave him another squeeze and hopped in the car, wanting to get underway as soon as possible. That was three days ago. It had taken them that long to track down Cameron's Baltimore house and rig up some decent surveillance. Gambit just wanted to go in cards blazing, but Wolverine was being cautious. He didn't know what security Cameron had set up and didn't want a bloodbath. They would watch and wait and use SHIELD to back them up.


	4. Chapter 4

(Four)

The X-men entered the Smithfield Bank, quiet as you please, filing one after another. Fallen had given them all cloaking devices like they had used back on Cerise, making this almost too easy. They were subtle, none of the humans inside even knew they were there. They had gleaned the details of today's intended robbery from the surveillance tapes of Cameron's team and set up two teams of their own. One was inside the bank, the rest waited at Cameron's safe house -- the X-men figured the safe house was probably the re-grouping point if this fell apart and Kyle's team got away.

The team inside the bank consisted of Logan, Jean, Scott, Rogue, Remy and Kurt. Warren, Storm, and Iceman and the two new recruits were posted outside the safehouse. Fury and the SHIELD guys were set up just down the street from the bank in case things went bad, but they too had some extra people at the safehouse as well.

The idea was for the X-men to interrupt the robbery and talk Kyle down, hopefully with no casualties. It certainly seemed from the recordings as though Kyle was ready to crack. In the process, they would try and get Kimble to come back with them as well. That would be Remy's job and he was sure if he could get Kimble's attention, he could get the pilot to leave Kyle and go back with them. He refused to believe he could fail.

Once inside the bank, the X-men spread out, taking positions all over and securing the exits, hoping to be ready. They could see each other with the cloaks on the same frequency and used sign language to communicate, having Molly around had paid off in more than one way.

It didn't take long for Kyle and the gang to show up. They teleported in, right on time, and took over the bank lobby in less than a minute, guns blazing. There were five of them -- Kyle, Leon, 'Shay Michael and Franklin, the teleporter. They spread out quickly, grabbing some of the bank customers as hostages. Kyle and Leon covered the tellers and the security guards, hauling them into the vault and tying them up. 'Shay was put in charge of the rest of the hostages who happened to be a couple of poor unfortunate civilians that had come in to cash their checks that day. 'Shay fired her guns, letting everyone know she wasn't fooling around and then forced her charges to one side near a desk. She worked fast, using duct tape she had brought along to tie their hands and cover their mouths. Michael took off into the vault with Franklin.

The X-men remained cloaked throughout, watching it happen without interfering, at least not just yet. The security cameras were on and they wanted as much of the robbery to be documented as possible to make sure SHIELD had the best case to use against Kyle and the gang once they were arrested. They would wait until it was almost over and then take them down.

Once settled, Lakotashay took up a position in the far corner, guarding her hostages. This was Remy's cue to move and he wasted no time, silently making his way closer to her. He was unable to stop the pounding of his heart when he saw Kimble. Remy knew it wasn't his precious Lover at the helm, but the sight of that familiar face not seen in so long made him shake and want to just reach out. It had been months since they'd last seen each other and the sight of Kimble's face smelled like victory. Gambit was going to steal Kimble right out from Kyle's nose, he could do this if he was careful and didn't blow this by being too hasty.

'Shay was sitting on a desk now, her guns held loosely in her lap, indifferent. Again she was wearing a Freedom's Kings uniform and was loaded for bear, she had several replacement clips for her large caliber guns on her belt. Her hair was loose and she had once more tied her bangs back into braids. It made her seem smaller and more feminine, almost pretty, but it didn't hide her melancholy. Her eyes were terribly sad and tired, fixed on the floor and not on the goings on of her teammates. It seemed as though she just didn't care what they were doing or where they were.

The hostages lay bound and gagged at 'Shay's feet. Her hands twitched on the guns and a look of pain crossed her face. She was trying to decide what to do – she knew she could end all this, end her pain, if only she was brave enough. All she had to do was blow away her hostages. Her teammates might let her get away with it, but certainly not the authorities which she knew were waiting just outside. It would be so easy.

Lakotashay raised one of the guns and pointed it at one of the hostages at her feet. The hostage she had chosen was a woman and the girl whimpered in fright, trying to wiggle away even though she was bound. 'Shay didn't seem to notice the woman's terror. This person meant nothing to her, she was just a means to an end.

"You don' need to be doin' dat, mon chere," Gambit whispered from right behind her. He clicked off the cloak and played his first card. He knew Kimble was an empath and so he used it, he stood there and let fly with his feelings, not restraining them one bit. He thought about how good it was to see Kimble and how he had been missed. He thought about how nothing would please him more than a few beers and a go at the jukebox, how there could be no greater thing than Kimble's company in that.

'Shay's head whipped around at the sound of Remy's voice, but instead of a hostile, defensive response to his sudden appearance, she froze in surprise as time seemed to stand still for a moment. There they were, simply looking at one another. She'd forgotten how handsome he was and the soft lilt of his voice. But more than that, she had been unprepared for the vibrations of his love and desire to help her, vibrations that matched the colors swirling though his shine. Gambit knew she could read it and would be forced to respond and she did. She wasn't alone. The pilot's body instantly began to shake and Kimble stirred from within.

Remy could sense it and couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "Bonjour, fils. How about we 'ave a little chat, eh?"

'Shay wasn't the only one to notice they weren't alone. Kyle saw Remy there and shouted, alerting the others. They turned from what they were doing and raised their guns at the newest threat, turning to the intruder. Kyle stood in the middle of the room with Leon on one side and 'Shay on the other. Franklin was still in the vault with Michael, gathering the money.

Wolverine cursed softly and the rest of the X-men clicked off their devices as well. He hadn't wanted to act this soon but understood why Gambit had made his move. 'Shay's gun moved away from the hostage and slowly raised to meet Remy's face. Her hands were still trembling though she fought for some control. The thief made no move to fight her, he simply smiled at her and cocked his head playfully.

"Been a long time, mon ami. How 'bout we take a walk, neh? Go grab a Coke?" Remy asked her casually as if they weren't in the middle of robbery surrounded by government agents and cops. "We got a lot to talk about, you an' me."

'Shay opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. She was mesmerized by his eyes and the love that poured from him, but more than that, his shine was so strong, so beautiful. Funny how she had never taken the time to notice it before. It was shimmering expectantly, calling to her like an old friend...like Father. She met his eyes and he smiled again, puzzled by her hesitation. He had seen her look of enchantment and wondered what it meant.

Time was moving much more quickly for everyone else. The X-men spread out into defensive positions and covered all the exits and tried to block out as many of the hostages as they could.

Logan looked at Kimble sitting there in awe of Remy's sudden appearance and felt a surge of guilt. It had been weeks since they last saw each other, but Logan would never forget that last meeting. He thought Kimble looked silly with his stupid black uniform and ridiculous guns, but what he had disliked most of all was his new stillness. It was as if all the life had been drained right out of him. 'Shay was moving like a drugged out zombie.

"Oops? Are we interruptin'?" Rogue asked Kyle playfully, jumping up to float in the air in a deliberate show of power. She was doing her best to shut out a sharp blast of jealousy that rocked her, Kimble was looking at Remy like a long lost lover.

"Well, if it isn't Logan Razor Hands and his murdering sideshow thief. Kill any Morlocks lately, Cajun?" Kyle replied just as frostily, raising his gun to Logan's eye level. "You almost done back there!" he shouted over his shoulder to Michael who was filling bags of money from the vault.

"Five minutes!" came the reply. Franklin and Michael were bagging money as fast as they could.

"You ain't goin' nowheres, Kyle. Specially not with our boy, there," Logan challenged arrogantly. He wasn't the least bit upset over Kyle's greeting, words meant nothing to him.

"I beg to differ."

Leon snickered. "You still wanna go home, Lakotashay?"

She looked at Remy with her sad, dead eyes and slowly shook her head. She was confused, but still certain of where she belonged. How could she return after the terrible things she had done?

Remy wasn't about to let her off his hook so easily. "C'mon, chere. You don' wanna be doin' none of dis crap. Give me de guns, s'il vous plait, and we'll walk right outta 'ere," he said, keeping his voice light and jovial. It was hard work, his face was the mirror image of calm, but his heart was pounding. He wasn't going to walk out of here without the prize, not while it was sitting right here in front of him.

"It's too late fer that," Lakotashay whispered with greater assurance. The trembling in her hands had ceased and the guns remained pointed at Remy's face.

"What did ya do to him, Kyle? He's all fucked up!" Wolverine shouted, shocked by what he saw. Lakotashay's deathlike stillness was even more creepy in real life.

"I didn't have to do anything," Kyle said contemptuously. "You made it abundantly clear he wasn't good enough for your little team. You didn't want him in your home so we gave him another."

"Kimble, yer brother is out. Come on home," Logan said, changing tack. If they could get Kimble back on their side, this would be all the easier.

"Kimble is dead," Lakotashay said dispassionately, her eyes cold and lifeless. "He ain't gots no brother cuz he don' exist no more."

Remy cocked his head at the change in Kimble's voice. It was so high and yet empty of all emotion. The Quitter. She would prove to be his greatest adversary. Gambit didn't give up, but spoke to Kimble in Siskan. " 'E ain't dead to me, little brother."

"Why didja kill them Morlocks anyhow?" Zander asked abruptly, startling everyone, including 'Shay. He had used English so everyone could understand. This was a test.

"What's that gots ta do with anathin'?" Lakotashay snapped.

Remy couldn't help but startle at the sudden switch of voices. He hadn't seen Kimble since the disastrous melting and one bizarre discussion with Anya couldn't prepare him for the real thing right up close. Sure he'd seen Hollywood examples of split personalities, the head shaking and dramatic pauses all in between. This was nothing like that. This was one body with three people in it, each one with their own distinctive voice, and apparently they all wanted to talk at once, one right over the other. It was beyond creepy and only another vivid example of how Kimble wasn't even close to being human.

"I just wants ta know, is all," Zander replied to the Quitter, cocking his head at Remy in a perfect imitation of the same move the thief had made earlier. It was a challenge.

Zander had been reminded of Gambit's little crime by Kyle's comments and was curious. He could care less about being in the middle of a robbery, he hadn't even wanted to be here in the first place. He wasn't too happy with the way things were going lately, especially how Lakotashay was so willing to up and kill people without a care. It was a little scary, even for him. Now the X-men were here and Zander had an opportunity he didn't want to waste. He now had some options about his future, about Kimble's future. Maybe they could leave the Freedom Kings and return to the X-men. Zander might not be able to take full control, but he could surely influence the other two personalities. He had the ability to cause an upset, a revolution as it were. The thing is, before he made his move, he wanted to be sure about a few things first. The Punisher wanted to see what Remy would say. He wanted to know if Kyle was right about Remy lying to them. Gambit was the foundation of Kimble's ability to hang with the X-men, he needed the thief as a true ally. No deception could be tolerated, it would be no better than where they were now.

Remy blinked, a little taken by the question. Worse than that, he was startled by Zander's deep gravelly voice. Zander hadn't been personally identified in this conversation, but there was no mistaking the defensive anger. This was the Punisher. "You come back wit us, Gambit tell you any'ting you wanna know, dat's a promise."

"No, you tells us now. Kyle there sez you been lyin' ta Kimble and I think the poor sap believes him. What do ya know 'bout that?" Zander continued to challenge.

"Dis ain't de time, Zandy. Cop's'll be comin'. SHIELD be jus' outside."

"He ain't gonna tell us cuz he's a liar, just like Father was," Lakotashay said with a smug little smile. "See, Kimble? I toldja we ain't gots no real friends, no real anathin'. You just lay back in yer chains, 'Shay's gonna take care of evrathin', just you see. No more pain, no more lies. Just the sweet black of death." She lowered one of her guns back down to the hostage.

Gambit was silently sweating and praying none of it showed on his face, freaked out by what was happening with his friend. Kimble was broken in every sense of the word and Remy was way out of his league, he had no clue how to fix this. He was a con man, a master player of people, and he was at a complete loss of what to do.

"Don't forget your promise to the Master, 'Shay," Leon snapped before Kyle would speak. He knew Kyle would just say something lame and screw this up. "No suicide. You will obey!"

"What is you really wanna know, Zandy, huh?" Gambit challenged, his voice shaking as he tried to control his hurt. He didn't like what was happening to Kimble, but he was clever enough to know he had to keep the conversation going. He had to force the Quitter and the Punisher to give him something he could use to bring this back around in his favor. He had to get that gun to come back up and away from the hostage. At the same time, he was painfully aware of all the people in this room, especially Rogue, and wasn't quite ready to give up his secrets just yet.

Zander chuckled, happy now with Gambit's discomfort. He knew Kimble's friend was actually thinking about answering. It showed love and respect for Kimble and he liked that. "Kyle says ya done it fer money, he cain't think of one other reason why you would bring Sabretooth down inta them tunnels. Ol' Kimble there, he tried ta say it wuz all about you makin' a mistake, but I could hear 'im questionin'. He had no answers fer what Kyle was askin'."

"How dare you!" Logan snapped at Kyle. "You don't know nuthin' about the kid! He's just usin' it as an excuse ta fuck with yer mind, Kim! That's all!"

"Then why doesn't your little thief answer the question?" Kyle countered. He didn't believe for a minute that Gambit would actually answer.

"Best be tellin' the truth now, little thief," the Punisher hissed. "Cuz I'll knows if yer lyin'."

Remy knew he would have to answer or he'd lose Kimble forever. His heart filled with dread as he blurted out quickly, "Sinister said 'e would 'elp me."


	5. Chapter 5

(Five)

The room fell suddenly silent.

"Helps ya with what?" Zander asked, his eyes gleaming with interest.

Remy paused, hearing the sound of distant sirens. There was no time for this! He took a deep sigh and relaxed, letting go of all of his frustration. He had to tell the truth here so Kimble would come home. He would sacrifice it all for this. " 'Life a funny t'ing', I 'eard Kimble say once an' it's true. You t'ink fo' one minute you got it all figured out, den it all jus' turn around an' bite ya in de ass. Gambit 'ad a real big problem. 'Is power more dan 'e can control. 'E be walkin' down de street, y'know? 'Fore 'e know it, shit be blowin' up all around. De energy be poppin' outta 'im all over wit'out 'is meanin' it. Got a little angry once, 'ad a score dat didn't go down quite so good as I planned. Standin' right nex' to a great big ol' car, you know? Fuckin' t'ing jus' exploded right den an' dere. Fuckin' flew up in de air. Missed some little kid by jus' an inch. An inch, dere, Zandy. I seen dat po' kid's face, 'e was shittin' 'imself a brick or two sideways, just standin' dere too scared ta move. Gambit, he a fool for de kids, non? He come over, 'Oh, it's all right dere, mon petit fils. Gambit didn' mean it'. Dat kid jus' turn tail an' run away screamin'. What's a boy ta do, eh?"

Kyle stood by quiet. He hadn't expected Remy to actually spill his guts like this. He knew then that Kimble had been right when he said Gambit was really his friend. He could see how upset Gambit was to be doing this and saw from the look on Logan and Rogue's face that he hadn't told anyone this before. Maybe Remy had been woefully misjudged by a great many people.

"So Sinister, he say, 'Gambit my good an' trusted t'ief. You been so good fo' me, doin' dis and doin' dat so good. How 'bout we do each other an exchange, eh? You bring dese freaks down to de tunnels, I'll fix it so you don' be droppin' no more cars on little kids 'eads? Que dites-vous, neh?' What do you know 'bout dat?" he finished, demanding Zander's attention with the catch phrase.

"Jesus, Remy..." Logan breathed in a whisper. He'd had no idea. This simple job of snatch and grab was turning out to be more than any of them had bargained for. The only thing that gave him some comfort was the look of quiet calm on Remy's face. The thief had tuned everyone else out. Right now, Zander was all he saw.

Remy continued to explain. "See dat's de funny t'ing, eh? Gambit, he don' trust Sinny any more dan 'e trus' anyone else. 'E make de man do 'is part firs'. He lay down on de table, let de good doctor do 'is t'ing. Make sure he done it right."

"Did it work?" Zander wanted to know.

"Sure. You seen any cars go flyin' at no kids 'round me, neh? See Sinny was countin' on de boy askin' fo' just dat. 'E knew dat Gambit wasn't no killer. Dis damn fool boy let de man disarm 'im 'fore 'e ever go down in de tunnels. Gambit prob'ly coulda stopped it if 'e 'ad all de power. Now it gone. Jus' like Sinny wanted. 'E knew Gambit would never sit by an' let alla dem women an' kids get killed. 'E prob'ly figured Saby would finish off de boy, too. No witnesses. Didn't figure on Gambit being so unlucky as ta live t'rough bein' sliced open like dat."

The sirens grew louder and stopped out front. The rest of the cops had arrived. It sounded like an army had gathered out there. "Time!" Kyle shouted to the back.

"One minute!" Michael shouted.

"We don't have a minute!"

"See, Zandy? All dere is, is folks just tryin' ta use de one who too scare' ta face what dey are. Dese folks you wit, dey just usin' you. Dey wanna take your Angel, use her power ta 'urt people. Don' let dese suckers play you for a fool like Sinny done wit me. Don' tell me you cool wit 'Shay killin' folks like she been doin'," Gambit challenged, determined to turn this around on the Quitter.

"Fair enough," Zander replied, raising both guns to his shoulders, taking them away from everyone. He jerked as Lakotashay wrenched control from him violently.

"Liar! You're the one who uses!" she snarled.

Gambit just smiled at her. "You tell me one time dis boy ever use you, neh?"

The Quitter had no answer.

"Remy?"

Gambit startled and began to instantly tremble. Kimble had spoken. It was soft and quiet, little more than a whisper. "Yeah, little brother?"

"I wants ta go home!" Kimble sobbed, coming to the fore.

Even Kyle couldn't help but feel a tremble of pain. It was the first time Kimble had spoken since 'Shay had thrown her little fit. He could hear the pain and longing in the Lover's voice and he knew he would let Kimble go with the X-men if that's what he really wanted. He didn't have the heart to hold him back. "Kimble, thank God...!" he breathed, shaken.

Remy ignored him. He held out his arms in invitation to Kimble, begging him to come and be hugged. "Gambit's gonna take care of you, Kim, jus' like always. You come on over 'ere. We gonna get outta 'ere an' go on home. Gonna 'ave some chocolate an' you gonna see yo' brother. He miss you like not'ing else. He cry every time somebody say yo' name."

" 'Shay!" Leon barked. "Remember your promise to the Master!"

Kimble squealed in pain and the pilot's body shook violently. A pulse of telekinetic power left him in a circle, pushing everyone back. Kimble's ass slid off the desk and he stood like a drunk having a seizure. The hostages at his feet shuffled away as best they could in spite of their restraints, not sure if they would be hurt by what was happening. The pilot shook and twisted, sending out more pulses of power though not as strong as the first. There was a moment of doubt of who was going to win as the violent confrontation was taking place from within. It didn't last.

When the pilot next opened his eyes, the Quitter looked back at them. "Nice try, Remy. Real nice. You gots some nice charm power jus' like us. Well, guess what? I ain't bein' fooled by you! This is what we wuz meant for! If it wuzn't, it wouldn't keep happ'nin' ta us! We kill an' we rape cuz we ain't no good fer nuthin' else!"

"Now dat's a lie if I ever 'eard it, le Quitter. De only t'ing gonna 'appen is we gonna take you 'ome. Gonna take alla dat pain of yours an' put it in a great big ol' box. Gonna bury it in de yard like de trash it is. Gambit's got a great big heart, chere. He got room for a little sister, too. 'E's got room for all t'ree of you!"

Lakotashay blinked at him in surprise. She was startled by his free acknowledgment of the existence of the three of them. How did he even know?

Remy just grinned his best charming smile. "What's dat, eh? Yeah, Gambit knows all about you, chere. Gambit knows all about each an' every one. 'E knows what you are. You a Siskan Courtesan, made fo' 'avin' fun, playin' games and makin' love. Not dis stupid bullshit. Not dis fuckin' around. If Kyle gave one shit about you, 'e'd know dis already!"

"Hey!" Leon complained. "You guys shoved him away!"

"Gambit didn' do not'ing, ain't dat right, chere? Who took you out dancin'? Taught you 'ow to play pool an' poker, too? Who was dere fo' you every time, givin' you chocolate fo' your pain? Gambit was dere for Kimble, he gonna be dere fo' you, 'Shay. He gonna be dere for ol' Zandy, too. Dere ain't no space 'tween you an' me, dere ain't never gonna be. Come home." He held out his arms again, pleading with his eyes.

'Shay's resolve started to waver. Kimble desperately wanted out and she couldn't hold back the whine of pain he was causing her as he struggled to break free. She raised her guns away from the X-men and started to speak, but Kimble's words bolted from her mouth. "Stops her! I don' wanna hurt nobody!"

Remy's hopes soared at the sound of his friend's voice again and he took a step forward. "You can fight dis, I know it! You stronger dan her!"

"No I cain't! She's too fuckin' strong! It's too late!"

Kyle jerked noticeably at the loud switch of voices. He found Kimble's loose marbles alarming. "Lakotashay? What's going on?"

Remy had her attention. Her and Kimble both. "Non, it never too late. You can beat dis! You 'ave to try! Come back wit me!"

Lakotashay staggered back, fighting for control. Gambit's proximity had caused a revolt she was desperate to contain. Kimble loved him so much and that love was making him stronger. She withdrew her guns, returning them to her shoulders in a sort of compromise. "Jus' go. Leaves here or I'll kill you!" she snarled. Kimble's body had broken out in a sweat and he shivered as the war inside was waged.

Remy took another step, he was now only a couple of paces away. He used Siskan in another desperate bid to persuade. **"Uh uh. Not wit'out you. You listen, you listen good. Since you been gone, dere ain't nuthin' been right fo' either one of us. You been melted, fuckin' exploded! Dese folks don' 'ave no clue 'ow to take care of you! When Gambit t'ought you were dead, 'is whole world just filled up wit a pain he don' ever wanna feel again. You come back wit me, I swear I'll make you mine. I'll do whatever it takes!"** Gambit blurted out, for that one moment believing he could actually follow through with it. Lakotashay's cold dead face was more than he could bear.

Kimble shuddered and burst into tears, Lakotashay's cold facade breaking away for just a moment and leaving him horribly exposed. He lowered the guns, the tears streaming down his cheeks. " 'Shay, we gots ta go. I wants ta go so bad!"

"No! He's a liar, just like everyone else! We ain't goin' nowheres!" 'Shay shouted as she brought her guns back in line with Remy's face. She wanted him gone, wanted him dead. Damn him for making this so hard for her!

Kimble slipped out and pleaded with Remy. "Help me!"

"What did he say to you, 'Shay?" Leon shouted before the Cajun could speak and make this thing worse. "Did he say he'd be your lover, huh? It's all lies! What did I tell you about that?"

"God won' let me die if I fuck," 'Shay said, struggling for control. "It's a sin an' I'll be punished."

"That's right. You'll never get what you want if you go with him!" he snarled, willing Lakotashay to obey him. "God'll keep you alive forever!"

"You can't fuck or you'll stay alive forever? What's de matter wit you?" Remy said, stunned by the twisted logic that had just come from her mouth. This was escalating by the minute, Kimble was all over the place and not headed in any kind of direction that suggested sanity. "Fuckin's all you was made to do, not dis crap! Don' let dem break you, Kimble. Don' you give up on me," he pleaded, his eyes growing shiny. Now that he had Kimble in front of him, he was determined not to let him go. If they didn't bring Kimble home, SHIELD was certain to kill him. "I meant what I said!"

"It wuzn't ever your way. Leon sez that kinda love is a sin. All fuckin' is a sin. All our lovers are dead. We killed them all," 'Shay said, her voice going soft as she regained her senses. The guns were lowered to the hostage once more, an endless game of tug of war.

"Dere ain't no sin in love. That's what Sheyman say and it's true."

"Sheyman lied!" 'Shay bellowed suddenly in pain, her anger making even more of a mess of things. "Love kills! Anaone what ever loved us fer real is dead!"

"Ju suis bien, chere. Gambit still 'ere last I checked. He's right as rain, chere. Dere ain't no lyin' goin' on here, not by me. Not by Sheyman neither. Your Father loved you. Leon an' dese fools de liars. Dey twistin' up your mind! Dey want your Angel for demselves and dey gonna say whatever it takes to break you down! Dat's what all of dis is about! Come back wit me!"

"If you go, I'll tell them what you did, 'Shay!" Leon shouted. "I'll tell them what you've done and they'll hate you forever!"

"What are you talking about?" Kyle replied, his voice ringed with frustration. The police presence outside was loud and it was just a matter of moments before someone came in here, guns blazing.

"Meow," Leon said and laughed when he saw Lakotashay tremble. "I'll tell them the rest, too."

"Gambit don' care about none of dat!" Remy shouted. He had no clue what Leon was talking about and didn't care. There was no more time left.

'Shay remembered the way Remy had looked at her when she had first turned to look at him. She had seen the love on his face and felt the call of his shimmer, it was so much like Father. She didn't want Gambit to know what she'd done, she couldn't bear the shame he would feel. Lakotashay burst into tears and wailed in pain. If she thought she had suffered before, it was nothing compared to this vicious shredding of her heart. "Don't you say nuthin'!" she snarled at Leon with a sob.

"Then get your Siskan ass moving! Michael! Franklin!"

"Easy, 'Shay..." Kyle coaxed, not liking the way this was going. 'Shay rarely cried, when she did, things usually got incredibly violent. He just wanted to get the money and leave before this got any uglier than it already was. "We're bailing now!" he shouted towards the two guys who were holding this up. If he'd known they were going to bag money this slowly, he would have done it himself. "We don't go now, we ain't leavin'!"

"We'll be right there!" came the reply from the vault.

Gambit stepped forward. " 'Shay! Don' be goin' wit dese losers! We already know about de guard an' Gambit' still 'ere beggin' you to come back! Dere ain't nuthin' you could do dat would make me hate you! It just ain't possible!"

"Yes, there is," she said softly, turning away. All she could see was the face of that tiny baby Leon had given her. It hadn't bothered her at the time to kill it, but Remy's presence here changed all that. She couldn't bear the pain of his knowing. She was damned, hopelessly damned.

"C'mon 'Shay, let's bail!" Zander shouted in protest, pissed off. "The X-men are our only chance ta be happy again! We learned all we can from the Kings! Let's go home! C'mon you guys! Don' be stupid!"

"Get over it," 'Shay growled at him and shoved him down.

"Guess we're all done now," Zander grumbled unhappily as he struggled in vain. He was furious. Kimble had fled, leaving Lakotashay once more in power. It was all out of his hands now. He felt a surge of bitter anger at Wolverine. This was all his fault. If he hadn't smashed Kimble's soul down so far with his accusations back in the warehouse, he might have been strong enough to throw Lakotashay down now. Who knew what she'd do next? This was all Wolverine's fault and he wasn't going to leave here without making the bastard pay. That much he could manage.

"Kimble, 'Shay's gonna take dat Angel and wreck it. Is dat what you want?" Gambit said, playing his last card. He knew it was useless even as the words left his mouth.

"I'm not sure no angel's ever gonna come ta me anaways..." Kimble said, his voice betraying just how tired of life and of this whole affair he'd become. "Wuz a fool ta ever believe my father. He lied to me about evrathin'," he whimpered and retreated for good, the pain just too great to bear anymore.

"Kimble, please..." Remy whispered, hardly able to hold his pain in check. He was devastated that Kimble had let go. He had come so close. "Gambit ain't leavin' you wit'out a fight!" He blurted out his cell phone number in the hope that Kimble would hear it and remember. "You call me, little brother! Gambit come an' get you anytime you done messin' wit dese losers!" He had lost faith in their pulling this off. It was the warehouse all over again.

Logan glanced over at his teammate and saw Remy's broken heart there, open and bleeding, and felt his own heart break a little. He knew instinctively Kimble had already given up, quitting as it were, and they were going home empty handed. Their only hope was for a fight to break out and they dragged the pilot back home to a nice padded cell, kicking and screaming.

"You done yet!" Kyle repeated, shouting back to Michael. This was already taking too long and he was afraid Lakotashay would crash. He jumped as SHIELD agents came streaming in.


	6. Chapter 6

(Six)

"Get your ass outta there now!" Kyle hollered to the men in the vault. It was time to move.

"Everybody! Get your hands up!" the leader of the SHIELD team shouted. The team that came in was large and well armed. They were heavily armored as well and not here to fool around. They would take out all of Kyle's team if they had to, no matter what kind of deal the X-men had worked out. It didn't seem like the X-men guys were making much progress anyway.

Kyle responded to the man's challenge by raising his hand and shoving them back telekinetically. Jean surged forward, blocking him from injuring them further and the two locked in battle, each trying to negate the power of the other with strong invisible shields. Kyle was stronger. He shoved her back and the windows of the lobby shattered outward with the force of his effort, spraying glass over everyone outside. The soldiers were next tossed outside. It was a testament to Jean's will that she hadn't been launched outside with them as well.

It looked like a violent struggle, but really Kyle just wanted them gone, he didn't want to kill anyone if he didn't have to. That and he couldn't trust 'Shay to keep it together.

The X-men all came forward, Logan popping his claws. Rogue was on the far side and made for Leon, wanting to get this over with. Kyle blocked them as best he could, containing them to the back of the room. Not all of them would have to suffer his confinement. There was a soft bamfing noise and a cloud of smoke as Nightcrawler teleported right behind him. Kurt was small and his presence was quite familiar, these two had known each other well when Kyle had lived at the Mansion and spent many sessions in the Danger Room fooling about. A blue fuzzy hand whisked the gun away from him and the familiar voice trickled into his ear in lightly accented German. "C'mon Kyle. You don't vant to do dis. It's been a long time, mein freund, but ve know each other well enough, ja? Let's calm down and think about dis."

Kyle trembled there, uncertain. He wanted to be done, that was so very true. For a brief moment, he saw himself back at the Mansion, back at Xavier's, happy and free, Kimble flying playfully through the grounds like a carefree child. He opened his mouth to speak, to concede, and then was almost toppled as Kurt went flying.

'Shay had blasted Kurt from behind him with a telekinetic shove, the promise to protect the team an order that had to be followed. She hadn't heard what was said, but didn't like Kyle's gun being taken away. She aided Kurt's flight by increasing his velocity and tacked him to the wall with spikes too swiftly for him to react and teleport away. She didn't run him through to kill him, Zander wouldn't allow it, but small spikes nailed him down through the flesh of his legs and arms in a mockery of a crucifixion. He gave a twisted scream and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, not waiting around for anything more.

When 'Shay's attention was on Kurt, Remy sprang forward to grab Kimble, but she tossed him back without looking at him, giving a display of the full extent of her power. He didn't fall as hard as Kurt nor was spiked, in fact he was steered away from the desk 'Shay had been sitting on, he would have collided with it painfully. Zander was working with 'Shay and it was obvious that Remy would come to no harm. Remy landed neatly on his feet, but his eyes were blazing, furious with frustration. How could he fight someone who could deflect him with invisible hands and shields?

Zander was torn, he wanted to go with the X-men, but had also sworn to protect the team. He wanted to go, but would see Kyle's team was kept safe. He was still Cameron's property, that hadn't changed, and he wouldn't deny 'Shay the ability to act. He re-enforced the barrier Kyle had raised, keeping the X-men and the SHIELD officers at bay. "Y'all jus' back off now!" Zander snarled. "You ain't touchin' Kyle 'r nobody else! I swores ta protects them an' I will! You keeps comin', somebody's gonna it worse than yer blue bamfin' guy, understand!"

Kurt had reappeared on the X-men's side of Zander's barrier. He was bleeding and in pain, but still game to participate. He had managed to take Kyle's gun with him, a small token of his failed effort.

Jean ignored Zander's cry as mere bravado and came at Kyle, seeing he was still dazed, but clashed again with 'Shay's power. The fact was the pilot was powerful, more powerful than Kyle especially when 'Shay was on the job and concentrating. Zander was there to help 'Shay out and Jean felt the power of their combined ability. Jean had other talents at her disposal, but taking this to the next level could be deadly and she didn't want to destroy the bank just to bring Kimble back alive.

"Git yer ass back, bitch! I means it!" Zander snarled and she stayed put.

Logan came forward, all but useless in a telekinetic battle, and was slapped back by an invisible hand. The blow spun him, it was meant to hurt and it did. He cursed loudly as his frustration rose.

"C'mon, Zandy!" Remy shouted. "What good is it to protect a team dat only wanna 'urt people? What kind of Master make you a murderer?"

"We swore. We hafta obey, that's jus' how it is," 'Shay said for him, her eyes cold. "You ain't touchin' these guys, git over it!"

."Done!" Michael shouted from the back. He and Franklin came out with bags of money and stood behind Kyle. They looked in surprise at the mess the battle had made. The room was destroyed from when Kyle blew the windows out and there was a large four point blood stain on one wall where Kurt had been.

"Time ta go, 'Shay!" Leon shouted, pulling back on the pilot's shoulder.

Kyle had regained his composure and he took command, his eyes tired and his face weary. He was just going through the motions. This was it, his last job and he was gone. It was too late to stop himself from going insane, the best he could hope for now was to get out of here alive so he could disappear forever. "It's been real, gents. Now if you'll excuse us..." he said wearily and turned away, signaling to 'Shay to come along.

Franklin reached out with his power to whisk them away, but Zander unexpectedly blocked him out with a shield. The others winked out, leaving the pilot behind. He had unfinished business and wasn't going to leave without seeing it done. He could care less if Franklin never came back for him, not now. He had fulfilled his obligation to the team and was free now to have a little sport of his own.

The pilot let go of all other barriers freeing the X-men but next tossed up a box shield, trapping only himself and Logan inside, blocking them off from all rescue. It was long and large, but he walked over and came closer, shrinking the box behind him until he stood in front of Wolverine, the two of them face to face in an arena of Zander's own devising. Logan snarled at the entrapment, knowing this was going to be bad. He tried to move, but he'd been mired in another telekinetic knot and couldn't escape. He had no choice but to give his attention to his captor, Zander had something to say and wasn't going to be interrupted.

"Hope yer happy, Logan," Zander growled, his angry gravelly voice painful in Logan's ears. "Looks like ya done broke Kimble good with yer bullshit back in the warehouse." He brought 'Shay's guns to bear square on Wolverine. "Here's ta alla yer lies and yer damn stupid pride! This is fer Kimble!"

Logan had nowhere to go. He fell under the spray of bullets with a twisted scream of agony. They ripped through his body, splattering blood and chunks of his flesh in all directions. It wasn't even close to a fair fight and his half of the telekinetic box was splashed with red and gore. Zander's guns were of a high caliber and the Punisher had emptied both clips into his prey. There was a millisecond pause as he reloaded telekinetically, a moment of silence before the thunder began again.

The X-men surged forward, but there was nothing they could do. Zander was powerful, more than they could possibly know. He wasn't going to let them interfere, he was here to punish and punish he did without an ounce of mercy.

Gambit shouted and flung himself at the barrier, screaming for Zander to stop, but there was no way he was getting in there. He saw Franklin reappear out of the corner of his eye nearby then wink out, only to pop out inside the bubble Zander had created. It was hard to see through all the gore lining the walls, but he saw Franklin grab Zander. Franklin shouted something at the pilot and they flashed away. The walls evaporated instantly, their creator now gone, sending a small rain of blood and gore down onto the floor.

"Logan!" Jean screamed and ran over. His body was mutilated beyond recognition and it was hard to tell if he was even breathing. Quickly, she used a series of small shields around the larger holes, trying to stop him from bleeding to death. She didn't know if he could die this way and wasn't ready to find out.

Gambit was next to the walls when they vanished. He was spattered in blood and gore from when they winked out and he was down on his knees, clutching at Wolverine. Surprisingly, the man turned towards him. A stream of blood poured from his mouth and he coughed weakly.

Logan grasped at his jacket. "No...Kyle...no...Kimble...understand?"

"Right, boss. We on it," Gambit wheezed, his response automatic and hardly heard by himself. He was stunned that Logan was even still thinking about saving Kimble after what Zander had done.

Wolverine groaned and passed out.

"Ve can't let dem get away!" Kurt was shouting. "They went to ze safehouze."

His earlier jaunt onto Kyle's back had more than one purpose. He had planted a small tracking device. He now held a GPS tracking box and knew where Franklin had taken them.

"I'll stay with Logan, you go get them!" Scott ordered, standing over the body of his fallen teammate.

"I have to stay here," Jean said. "My shields are the only thing holding Logan together. You go."

"Somebody's gotta handle Fury. This is a mess," He looked at Kurt. "Use the radio and get the backup team rolling. If Kyle went to Bishop's I'm sure they're in action already. You're bleeding. Jaunt these guys over, but watch yourself."

Kurt nodded and the rest of the X-men gathered in a circle. Remy was still next to Logan, and Rogue gently pulled him away. "We gotta go, Sugah," she said and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Nick Fury, head of SHIELD, came stomping into the building. He was a large man, physically powerful and commanding. He was in his late fifties, but every inch the seasoned warrior. He could probably take down most of his own men in hand to hand combat and could use any weapon given to him. He was dressed in a black SHIELD uniform loaded with sparkling badges and had an eye patch over one eye, a souvenir from one of his many battles.

"What the hell is this shit!" he thundered as he surveyed the damage. He looked down at Logan and scowled. "Well, that's just great. Medic! Get his sorry ass out of here!"

Scott shivered at his words, unused to such callousness in the wake of half of Logan's body being missing. I mean, Jeez. You could see that metal coated skeleton hanging out all over. He tried hard not to puke just thinking about it, he didn't want to look weak in front of the head of SHIELD. They hadn't met before this and he didn't want to get dismissed as a weakling.

Scott had no idea this was far from the first time Fury had seen Logan like this. Nick had seen Logan chopped almost to bits, set on fire, shredded from a land mine. It was all in a day's work to him. He knew Logan would heal up, he always did. What had infuriated him was that his quarry got away. Logan had promised him Kyle and now he was gone. He paced for a few minutes while Wolverine was packed off on a gurney, the medics looking at Fury with doubt. They thought a body bag might be more appropriate.

Rury's radio cackled and he sntached at it impatiently. "What!"

"So sorry, Monsieur Fury, sir," Remy said with a bitter laugh. It was almost lost in the sound of roaring guns and the crash of lightening. "It seem we got quite de situation 'ere at Bishop's place. Mebbe you wan' come down, or jus' play wit yo' dick over dere, n'est ce pas?"

"What about the guys I had there?"

"We got more'n one player in town. Seem like ol' Sabretooth 'ad other plans fo' dem. Dey all over de place in itty bitty bits. 'Ope you got a lotta newbies on back order. Dese 'ere done fo' good. Best be bringin' some body bags, mebbe some bigger guns, non?"

"I hear ya, Louisana! We'll be right there!" Fury growled and clicked off. "Let's move!"


	7. Chapter 7

(Seven)

Kyle and his gang materialized in the livingroom of Cameron Bishop's safe house only to find themselves mired in another battle. Their home had been rudely invaded while they were gone and they now found themselves surrounded. It wasn't SHIELD or the X-men though they were keeping watch outside.

The mighty Sabretooth and his gang had chosen their moment to collect on Jael's bounty. They had broken into the safehouse and were now here, patiently waiting for Kyle and his gang to return. Like Remy, Sabretooth was not without his resources. He wanted Kimble badly and had gathered enough intelligence on Kyle's gang to decide now was the time to collect Jael's prize. He knew Kyle would be a mess from the botched robbery and wouldn't be able to handle the intrusion. Creed wouldn't walk away empty handed this time.

Sabretooth had spread out his large body across Bishop's sofa and was lounging comfortably, his men in an offensive formation behind him. He had brought his top crew. Davis was here as well as Mary, a plasma producer like Leon. He had also brought along several others, big heavy hitters that were invulnerable or telekinetic, the strongest of mutants.

Sabretooth was ready when Kyle's gang winked into view inside the house and stood slowly, taking his time. He was in control of this situation and not the least bit intimidated by the guns the new arrivals were carrying. His healing factor made him reckless and arrogant while his military experience gave him the advantage. There would be no way he was going to lose this fight, not this time.

The moment Kyle had shown back up, Creed had given a signal and all hell broke loose outside as the rest of his crew began to deal with the SHIELD assholes Fury had brought here and the small band of X-men outside. He could smell the blood of battle and hear the screams of the soldiers outside dying and it sent a thrill right through him. He hoped some of those X-geeks would get taken down as well.

Kyle barely had time to register that Lakotashay was missing when they were suddenly attacked by their uninvited guests. Michael tossed him a spare gun and they went to it. The skirmish was brief and quite loud. Spikes and sparks went flying from both sides, but Creed's group had the element of surprise and larger numbers. Even as they fought, Sabretooth had a teleporter bringing in reenforcements. Kyle and his men had no chance.

Michael tried to even the odds with a small explosive. He let fly with one of his homemade little bombs and the explosion rocked the house, blowing out one of the walls. A couple of Creed's extras had a nice flight out into the street and lay groaning and twisted on the ground, burnt and ripped apart by debris. Davis was tossed away from the blast and into the next room, out cold on his back. Some of the threat had been removed, but it wouldn't be enough.

Creed himself had been standing next to Davis the whole time, and wasn't even budged by the blast. It was as if it couldn't even touch him, he was so unafraid. He slid a small black box from one of his many pouches, it was a bomb not unlike Michael had used, but everyone there knew he was far more skilled in this than Michael. He waved it at the crowd.

"Two can play that game, darlin's. Wanna see who's gonna win?" he snarled happily, showing his fangs. His device was by far the strongest and he wouldn't hesitate to use it, even if his own people got injured. His only concern was winning the game.

Kyle retreated, throwing up a defensive shield around his crew. It shimmered blue and powerful in front of him. Unfortunately, the team had been separated and he didn't get everybody. Leon was grabbed from behind by Mary and when he let go with a defensive burst of plasma, found it had no effect. She laughed in his ear, "Sorry, little one. I've got the plasma, same as you. You can't hurt me, but my knife can hurt you."

Leon squealed as he was pricked from behind. Mary may have been a woman, but she was no less skilled than the army of men around her. She could slice and dice with the best of them, she wouldn't be on Creed's team if she couldn't. The knife had found Leon's back, just under his ribs. He had learned enough from Michael to know she could kill him instantly from this position. "Help me!" he squeaked, terrified.

Kyle paced restlessly, the rest of his team behind the defensive shield on the other side of the room. They were all injured and bleeding, bewildered from this sudden turn of events. He knew he wasn't in control of this, not even close and it angered him.

Creed laughed. "Okay, Kyle. This's been fun and all. Now tell me where the pilot is."

"Never!" Kyle snarled, unwilling to admit he'd lost.

Leon screamed loudly as the woman cut him. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it made him howl. Blood poured down his legs and she twisted him, making sure Kyle knew it.

"What was that?" Creed said, cupping his ear in Kyle's direction. "You best be speakin' up 'r yer boy's gonna be toast. Mary ain't got no more patience than me."

Kyle felt a great weight come crashing in on him. They were all wounded, barely hanging on here and he had no doubt Mary would slice Leon open wide. He turned to Franklin. "Bring him here."

Franklin nodded. There was a moment of understanding. Franklin would bring Kimble here, sure. But he knew something Sabretooth didn't. Zander had completed his training with skill and had already proven himself in a real fight, Zander was the best weapon they had. A serious ass kicking was in order.

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Remy landed outside of Cameron Bishop's safehouse, coughing from the smell of Nightcrawler's smoke. Kurt was a powerful teleporter and could move a small group along, but he would never be stealthy. The smoke and the smell of brimstone gave him away every time. Remy had no time to breathe before they were attacked.

Creed was all done fooling around and had brought a large team this time, full of heavy hitters. He had telekinetics and pyrokinetics and folks flying around in the air. The ground was littered with the shredded and smoking bodies of SHIELD agents, normal humans were no match for these guys but they weren't the only ones fighting. Both Storm and Warren were up in the sky, battling for supremacy of the skies around them. They were tangling with what looked like a humanoid dragon and another telekinetic. The battle was raging loud and fast and Gambit's teammates were winning. Remy ducked as water poured down on him, Storm had used a small thunderstorm to drench the fires of her lizard like opponent.

Gambit tossed some cards, adding to the confusion and scrambled away, trying to get to the safehouse without being noticed. He ducked behind a patrol car and activated his radio. He spoke with Fury, demanding assistance, and cringed when a loud clap of thunder almost made his ears bleed. A body flew over the top of the car and the lizard guy landed on his back in front of him, his body smoking. Storm was all done fooling around, too, it seemed.

Gambit put his radio away and peeked over the hood of the car. Everyone around him was busy. Rogue had vaulted up to the sky and was helping Storm and Warren finish off the telekinetic guy. Iceman and Trevor were down on the street, blocking off two more of Creeds goons who had come with guns, pushing them back with huge walls of ice and rock. Remy could see they had also blocked off the street, trying to limit the amount of casualties. Kurt was off to one side, helping innocent bystanders to safety. He was wounded and in no condition to fight.

Remy used the moment to move up to the house. One wall had been torn away and he could see inside. He wasn't prepared for what he saw.

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Zander had been warned by Franklin before he arrived that things weren't going well at the house. They had jumped twice, once to get out of the bank, the second time they paused at an empty street corner so Franklin could take a second to give him the layout of the damaged house and who was there. When they reappeared at the house, Zander acted quickly and decisively.

Zander landed, spikes ready. He let go with his crystalline weapons and Creed and his people went flying. Sabretooth gave a twisted cry of pain as he was tacked to the wall, run through without mercy. Zander had shown Nightcrawler greater kindness back at the bank, for Sabretooth – whom he recognized from when Kimble had been melted -- there would be no holding back. The rest of Creed's men were killed instantly except for Mary who still held her hostage.

"Let Leon go!" Zander demanded, his body tall and straight, showing no fear whatsoever.

"Kiss my ass, fucker!" she snarled and pricked Leon again.

Zander came forward to fight but was stopped by a man who jumped in through the open wall. "Wanna dance?" the newcomer challenged. He was large and heavily muscled, easily three times Zander's size. He carried no weapons but his hands were stained with the blood of Fury's men.

Zander launched spikes at him and was stunned when they shattered against the man's body without penetrating.

"Gonner hafta do better than that, mate!" the guy cackled with a grin.

"Way to go, Seamus!" Mary laughed. "Show him who's boss!"

Zander pushed with a shield and Leon howled as Mary cut him again. Leon was at his end. He was trembling with shock and loss of blood.

Zander ignored him but faced his enemy, a man who continued to taunt him. "Fight me like a man, eh? I promise I won't hurcha... Not too bad anyway!" Seamus challenged with another belly shaking laugh.

Zander howled in rage and produced his sword.

-------------------------------------------

Remy was frozen in place when he saw that sword come out of nowhere. It sparkled and twinkled like a magic talisman and he felt a shudder pass through him. Since when could Kimble do that and why did it look like it belonged there? Anya had certainly never said anything about this!

Zander charged, swinging his blade. Seamus wasn't afraid of any little crystal sword, his mutant power was invulnerability, no weapon or blow could possibly hurt him, he had nothing to fear. He used his arms as shields, swinging them about and blocking Zander's blows.

Zander never faltered. He moved swiftly and gracefully, hitting his opponent from all sides, testing him for weaknesses. He tried everything -- he struck Seamus from the front, a direct slicing blow, but the sword only shattered uselessly against the big man's impenetrable skin. Zander wasn't the Quitter, he wasn't about to give up so quickly. He reconjured a new sword and went at him again. This time he tried short jabs from all sides, constantly circling Seamus and forcing him to keep turning, making the big man dizzy. The sword chipped and broke away as before, but Zander's will was strong, he repaired it just as quickly, always focusing on the blade and his opponent. His only hope came from the fact that Seamus was starting to huff a little. Like most big men, Seamus was a brawler, not an endurance fighter. Zander smiled. All right, then. He would wear this bastard down and then they'd see.

Remy had recovered from the shock of the blade's appearance only to be stunned again by Zander's grace. The pilot had been trained well and used all of that knowledge now. He was swift and sure, ducking away from all of Seamus' attacks and keeping the big man constantly on the defensive. He was never struck and he never gave any sign of tiring in spite of dodging all around and taking the shock of his deflected blows time and time again. He was liquid grace personified and Remy wasn't sure if even he could take Zander down in a fair fight. It was station Nine all over again and Zander was just as beautiful now in this pilot's body as he had been then.

Remy wasn't the only one to take notice. Sabretooth tore himself away from the wall, growling complaints from the pain. This wasn't the first time he'd been run through by spikes and he was getting rather tired of it. He hadn't been informed Kimble shared this particular ability of Kyle's and was a little put out over it. His legs buckled from the pain of his shredded insides and he slid down to his ass. His body would heal, but he needed a moment.

At least he was getting some entertainment while he waited. The sword fight in front of him was impressive, now he could see why Jael wanted this guy. He had seen a few sword fights in his time, but thought that blades were rather useless. He'd take a nice big loaded gun anytime. Take the target down from a distance, then save the best for last with his claws. He could see Zander was holding his own rather well against Seamus, a bit of a surprise. Between the little guy's endurance and his telekinetic ability, Sabretooth vaguely wondered how he was supposed to contain Kimble for shipment back to Jael.

His question was answered when he saw Davis approach. The man had come from the back room, recovering from the earlier toss. Davis remembered as Creed did how badly Kimble reacted to a nice big shot of electricity, the Siskan had gone down quickly and put up little fuss. Confident that the same would hold true here, Davis came up to Kimble from behind, but stopped when Creed signaled him to wait. Creed wanted to see how the fight was going to play out first.

Zander was wearing the big guy down. Seamus' face was all red and he was heaving for breath as he dripped with sweat. He was pissed off that he hadn't been able to hit Zander, not even once. Every time he lashed out, the white winged, fairy bastard seemed to see it coming and ducked or flew out of the way. The faster Seamus charged, the more quickly Zander was gone and left only empty air where the target should have been.

Zander was evading the guy, sure. The problem was, he couldn't cut him. Zander wondered if he would have to resort to clocking the guy with the flat of his blade in an attempt to stun him, but he was worried that it might not be enough for them to get away. He was filled with a moment's panic, unsure of what to do. The panic made him angry and his hands started to glow faintly orange as his temper caused a flow of plasma to his fingers. To his surprise, the blade responded eagerly to the plasma and it flickered orange with hunger.

"Leon! Hit me!" Zander snarled, his eyes wide with sudden understanding.

Leon obeyed without question, he'd seen the orange flickers himself. He tossed a ball of plasma before Mary could respond and Zander caught it, grabbing it telekinetically and guiding it over without missing a beat of the battle he was in. He absorbed it quickly, shivering from the sudden influx of power and the sword burst into bright orange plasma flames.

Zander next launched himself up into the air and plunged the glowing weapon down into Seamus' chest. He didn't know if this would work, but he had to try. The newly empowered blade cut through the man's defenses like they didn't exist. Seamus screamed as he was impaled and his body caught fire, flooded with plasma as if Leon had fired a blast at him himself. Difference was, he was invulnerable on the outside, not on the inside like this. He was being roasted inside and out by the burst of plasma that ripped through the blade and down into him. His body couldn't take it, he exploded violently, throwing chunks everywhere.

--------------------

Remy ducked, he couldn't help it. He was still outside but close enough to be sprayed with blood and gore, Seamus was a large man. He couldn't believe what he'd seen. It just wasn't possible that Kimble could have done such a thing. He watched in numb amazement as Davis surged forward and risked all to zap Zander from behind with a huge bolt of lightning.

Zander never saw it coming. He was just as amazed as Remy was at what he'd done. He had acted on instinct. **Channeler. **The word flashed before his eyes and he understood now what it meant, then the world went crazy. There was a blinding flash of light and he was on the floor, trembling violently and unable to make his body move on his command. The sword evaporated into thin air and he was left drained and helpless.

----------------------------------

Kyle had watched the sword fight and the explosive conclusion, shocked silent. He realized that this moment was the one Cameron had prepared the pilot for. This was why Joshua had wanted the pilot trained in the swords and he had an idea now that Kimble's first melting might not have been an accident. Kimble hadn't used the plasma before then, the pilot had said as much. Kimble was the ShaRain, the wielder of that magnificent sword and their valiant defender. Nothing could stop him. His heart surged with pride and then it was over.

He watched as Zander was taken down by the electrical surge and their great defender was a quivering mass of mush on the ground. He came forward with a cry, having caught a second wind from the battle. He dropped the protective shield, launched spikes and lay a protective bubble over Kimble.

---------------------

Remy came in from the street, jumping through the hole in the wall and tossing cards. He wasn't alone. Iceman and Trevor were right behind him.

---------------------

Kyle couldn't fight on two fronts. His job was to keep Kimble from both the X-men and Sabretooth. He never had a prayer -- in a flash, Michael was ripped to shreds before he could phase, too distracted by the goings on to see Creed come up from behind. Sabretooth had no idea this was Jael's spy, but it wouldn't have mattered. The guy was carrying two automatic weapons, prudence demanded he be the first to go down. Franklin was next, Davis wasted hardly a second and fried him right after Zander went down. Kyle sent a shield forward and it was met by a bolt of lightening. The electricity licked around it and sparks arced through the electrical systems of the house. There was a pop and hiss and the walls caught fire.

---------------------

Creed dropped his victim and took his guns. He sprayed bullets over Remy and his friends, howling with maniacal laughter. Mary barely had time to duck out of the way, still carrying her hostage. She was given special orders not to kill him, he was going to be leverage against Kimble if and when they ever got out of this. She cursed the impetuousness of her boss, she shouldn't have to be dodging his fire as well as their enemy's.

--------------------------------

Remy skidded to a halt, ducking as a clear wall of ice appeared in front of him without warning. Iceman had come to his rescue, acting swiftly. Gambit saw it chip and shatter as the bullets hit it, but none came through. Kyle wasn't so lucky. He screamed as he was ripped apart and crashed to the ground. With so many opponents, he simply couldn't cover himself well enough and it cost him.

Creed reached for his radio when he ran out of bullets. "Let's check out, boys," he growled and stepped over to where Zander lay trembling on the ground. He grabbed the pilot and hauled him up over his shoulder like so much meat.

"I don't think so, Creed!" Iceman challenged.

"What ya gonna do about it, Iceboy? You come closer and everybody buys it," he said. He unclipped a small black box from a strap on his belt. It was the same one he had threatened Kyle with earlier. He clicked a small button with a claw and a flashing light came on. "Logan ever teach you dweebs 'bout explosives? Believe me, son. You don't wanna find out what this fucker can do."

"You'll be killed yourself!" Bobby snarled, not wanting this to end.

Creed just laughed. "Are ya sure? I just got me a belly full of spikes an' I'm standin' here fuckin' you in the ass. How about that?"

Iceman hesitated, he couldn't help it. The house was wrecked, on fire, but there were just too many bodies in here. Kimble wasn't worth it to him.

"Don' let 'im go!" Remy wailed, still trapped behind his wall of ice. He began to smash at it with his fists, trying to get at Creed. It couldn't end, not like this.

Creed noticed him there and laughed, amused by Gambit's distress. "Hey, there Cajun. I see ya found yerself some ice again. How's it feel, son? Is it colder than ol' Rogue's heart when she dumped ya in the Antarctic? Heh, you never did know a thing 'bout women. They're cold as hell, boy. Cold as hell."

"Disparaissent la baise vous-meme, Creed! Fuck you!" Remy shouted, getting nowhere fast. Bobby's ice wall was quite thick. He stepped back and charged two cards, ready to blast his way. He tossed them and the wall shattered without breaking. He began to smash at it again.

"My, what language!" Creed laughed. "What would yer Tante say?"

"What are we doing?" Trevor asked Bobby nervously. He could still hear the sounds of battle outside and now there was some kind of standoff here. He was new to all this and looked to the most senior man for guidance. The exchange between the killer and the thief was ignored as irrelevant. Everyone knew those two had a dark and unpleasant history.

Bobby frowned. "We let him go."

"Non!" Remy howled. He had managed to chip a hole in the ice and had two more cards charged and ready. He tossed them just as Creed brayed laughter and winked out of view.


	8. Chapter 8

(Eight)

Gambit crouched down next to Kyle's shattered body. He was shaking with rage, once more he had been so close and failed to bring Kimble home.

He had seen Zander lying there draped over Creed's shoulder like a piece of sacrificial meat. He thought for a moment that he had seen a flicker in the pilot's eyes, perhaps of recognition and then there was a flash of light as the teleporter took them away. Creed had selected a 'porter of the highest quality, no touch was needed, only a matching badge on each of the passengers. Even Kurt couldn't jaunt like that. There had been a small explosion as Remy's cards detonated on empty air and then it was over. At least his little card trick had snuffed out the worst of the flames, a quick icing from Bobby took care of the rest. The house was still standing.

Remy couldn't stop the tears of frustration from stinging his eyes. What was he supposed to tell Seth now?

Gambit could hear the whistling death rattle as Kyle breathed and shuddered, knowing what was going to come next. Kyle was going to die right here at his feet and nothing was going to stop that. Creed's bullets had cut Kyle almost in half, it was amazing that he was even still alive at all. He had used the last of his strength to create a small shield that held his guts in place and contained most of his bleeding. It wouldn't last.

Gambit wiped his cheeks on his sleeve, trying to recover both his dignity and his composure. He had to go to work. He gently touched Kyle's face. "You still wit me, man?"

Kyle's eyes fluttered open and he grabbed at Remy's hands weakly. "Kimble...safe?"

Remy shook his head. "Non. You gonna make it?"

"No...not sure...I want to..." Kyle coughed and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. "You have to find him...Kimble...he..he's in trouble... 'Shay...she's...gonna kill...him."

"Gambit gonna take care of dat, but you gotta 'elp me, homme. Where would dey go?"

"Jael...they took him to Jael. Must've been...You have to find Kimble before he finds the LaRoo...his angel... Joshua said it's a weapon...some kind of power... 's why Cam wanted it... said Kim was a Channeler...th-that thing he did with the sword... Channeler...angel...Can't let Jael have it...He'll kill everybody, understand?"

"LaRoo, dis is Kimble's angel. I understand. You just rest easy, non?"

Kyle squeezed Remy's hand. "When you find him...Kimble...tell him I did the best I could. I'm sorry...I'm sorry about everything."

Remy smiled sadly down at the dying man. "I'll do dat, don' worry. You still gotta 'elp me some, mon ami, if you can. Logan struck a deal wit dem SHIELD guys. Cameron fo' Kimble, comprenez vous? Can you give me Cameron?"

"Give? Oh, heh..." Kyle laughed softly. "He- he was like a father to me..."

"So sorry, 'bout dat. C'est la vie. Dey say you can't chose yo' family, eh?" Gambit teased with a short laugh, it was in his nature to try and use humor to get what he wanted an dit had come automatically to him, even now. "Useta 'ave a brother like dat. More trouble dan 'e was wort'."

Kyle coughed and laughed a little more. "Safety deposit box...box sixty one...Federal Savings... key's in my pocket...For Kimble..."

Kyle hadn't been a fool nor as bad off as the X-men had suspected he was when he seemed ready to crack before the bank heist. Yes, he had been upset, but he'd also had an inkling that his fallout with Cameron might be permanent. Without being sure of the reason but yet knowing it was the right thing to do, Kyle had complied some evidence against his boss. Something he could hold in reserve in case Cameron hadn't been so willing to let him go so easily. It looked as though his little pile of blackmail documents might still serve some purpose after all.

Remy fished for in Kyle's bloody pocket and pulled out a ring heavy with keys. "Good 'nough. Now you rest easy, 'kay?"

Kyle closed his eyes and wheezed. "You know how beautiful he is...?"

"Who? Kim? Oui, Gambit knows."

"He needs to be told every day. I wish I had...been...there for him...Logan wouldn't've shattered him so easily...He's so fragile, so..easily broken. I would watch him...you know? When he was in the Club...with Gail... He's so beautiful when he's loving them... Never should've let Cam take him...broke his heart...when Gail was killed...fuckin' Saby..."

"Non. 'Is 'eart been breakin' ever since 'is father died. It wasn't you or anyone else," Remy said, knowing it was the truth and trying to make Kyle feel better. "Don' be t'inkin' dat. I'm gonna find 'im and tell him what you want. Just lay easy now."

Kyle sighed heavily and relaxed, letting go of all his pain. "When you find him...and I know you will...keep that asshole Logan away from him... Kimble actually cares what Logan thinks...Stupid...What he wants...what he needs...Logan will never give him. Do you know what I'm talking about, son...?"

"Acceptance," Remy said quietly.

"Right. Kimble's respect is more than that hairy asshole deserves..."

Remy laughed a little. "Logan is slow, but 'e's catchin' up."

"Is he? Ask Kimble about the flare some time. Don't think Kimble found it all that funny..." Kyle coughed, and whimpered from the pain. He shuddered and let out his last breath in a ragged gasp.

Remy sighed and sat back. He hated death and dying, but it always seemed to find him anyway. He felt like some kind of rogue priest, having listened to Kyle's last confession. He could almost see Kyle's shine flicker and wink out but did his best not to look that hard, the man's vibrations of pain and suffering had been bad enough to rip through whatever passed for his mental shields these days, shields that were all but useless. He felt like he wanted to bawl, but he wouldn't, not here, not in public. He had to maintain control. He couldn't let the team think he was close to losing it.

He looked up as Storm came to the door. "Hey."

"You okay?" she asked, regarding him carefully with her pale blue eyes. She was looking out for him, keeping the SHIELD guys in the next room off his back. She was rumpled and dirty from the fighting, her long white hair sooty and windblown, but she had never looked so beautiful as she did now, protecting him from danger.

"Gambit always is, chere," he said as he rose stiffly to his feet. The day was wearing on him now and his body was one huge ache from head to foot. He took a few steps, turning away to look out the window. The streets were filling up with cops and SHIELD agents and he could see Fury coming up the steps now.

Storm came over and stood next to him , turning him just a little so she could give him a kiss on the forehead. She could see the tears still shimmering in the corner of his eyes and knew he was in pain. Kimble was gone and he blamed himself. Kyle had died right at his feet, a difficult thing for anyone to watch. So much damage done to the team and himself and he had nothing to show for it. She had watched as their friendship grew, the thief and the pilot, and was glad for it. She knew how badly Gambit had needed a friend since the whole Antarctica thing. Now that stability was gone. She was more than aware that Gambit wasn't himself lately, he was stressed out to the max and two steps away from a breakdown. She pulled him into her arms and gave him a squeeze.

"Merci, mon chere, merci..." he whispered and lay his chin on her shoulder, needing this.

"It will be all right. It's over for now, but not forever," she promised.

Remy nodded, happy with that. He could feel her love for him seep into him from the contact and it soothed him more than she could have known. It was a good kind of love, brother and sister love, the kind that lasts forever. It was enough to pull him together and what good timing, they were no longer alone.

"Well, isn't this cute," Fury snapped, walking in through the hole. It was much larger than the door and an easier entry from the street. He had arrived only a minute ago and was held at bay before the last of Creed's men winked out. Now all there was left to do was survey the damage. He stomped over and toed Kyle's carcass with a boot. "I don't suppose he said anything."

Remy pulled himself away from Storm and straightened up tall, putting on his usual masks of arrogant distrust. It worked well, Gambit wasn't a pretty sight. He was covered in blood and gore from at least three different people and stank of fire and smoke. "Non, he say nuthin'."

Of course Kyle had, but Remy wanted to check out what Kyle had on Cameron first. There were a lot of keys on this ring, lots of opportunities he wanted first crack at.

Fury squinted at him, not quite trusting him. He knew something of Gambit, enough to be suspicious. He would be sure to question Logan about all this, if and when the poor shmuck recovered. Lord knows there hadn't been too much left. "All right," Nick replied, letting it go for now. "Got a call from yer old man in the chair. He sent the jet up to get Logan. He's gonna set down in the park, you and yer friends had best be on it. I'll be givin' you folks a call later when you've breathed a bit. This thing ain't near over."

"Thank you, Nick," Storm said respectfully, stepping forward and taking charge. "We're all looking forward to seeing you again."

Nick just snorted. "Right. Well, you folks better pack up."

"Yes, thank you," she replied and gave Remy a tug towards the exit.


	9. Chapter 9

(Nine)

Remy walked into the Med Bay bathroom at the Mansion in Westchester and stood looking at himself in the mirror, dazed. Henry had sent the X-jet down to pick them all up and Logan as well. The Canadian had survived Zander's temper tantrum, but would be out of commission for long time. The SHIELD medics had wrapped up what was left of him, amazed he was even still breathing. They didn't dare give him any pain killers or sedatives for fear his heart would stop. They had landed here only just a few minutes ago and Henry insisted on everyone getting checked out before being released.

Gambit had taken one good look at the mangled remains of his teammate and fled in here, not sure if he would heave. He had pretty much pulled it together until he had seen Logan and had that nightmare refreshed in his mind. There was no way Logan could still be alive and yet Henry had snapped into action, fussing over him just as much as the SHIELD medics, as if there was never any doubt it could be so.

Remy saw his face in the mirror and didn't like what he saw. His eyes were swollen and rimmed in bruises. He still hadn't properly recovered from his drinking binge and the stress from the last few hours had taken its toll. He was covered in blood, leftovers from the bank after Wolverine had been shot or from Seamus, he wasn't really sure anymore.

He came to life and numbly removed his long leather coat, going to the sink and feebly trying to wash the blood from it. His hands were shaking badly and a lit cigarette dangled from his lips. Fuck Henry's admonition against smoking, he'd never seen anyone shot as badly as Logan had been and was starting to wig out. He knew the guy could heal...but this? Whole chunks of him had been missing.

"You all right?"

Remy looked up as the Professor came in to look him over. He smiled at the crippled man, but his eyes betrayed him.

"Logan will be fine. He's resting comfortably now," the Professor said, quick to reassure.

"What it take ta kill dat boy, neh? Seen 'im crisp fried, now half of 'im gone. Jesus!"

"Yes, well. It's a shame the rest of us aren't so lucky. How was Kimble?"

Gambit turned his head away. " 'E all shattered, boss, just like Anya say. 'E don' even know who 'e is no more. 'Ell, I'm not sure I even know," he finished vaguely, still not quite believing that thing with the sword. He'd been the only one of the X-men to see it, he couldn't hope to explain it and so said nothing about it to anyone. Maybe it really hadn't happened.

"We'll get him back, I promise you."

"I t'ink we seen dat comin' in all loud and guns blazin' ain't de way to bring 'im home. Dat's Logan's way. Now it gonna be Gambit's way. Gambit's gonna steal 'im back all sneaky like," Remy said, the conviction strong in his voice. He was trembling badly now and not doing so well with his coat anymore.

"I'm sure you will, it's what you do best," Charles said, realizing that Gambit's calm was a crumpling mask. The boy was hysterical but trying not to let it show.

"Dat's right. Gambit's gonna find 'im, gonna steal 'im back an' never let 'im outta my sight again," Remy replied and then kept repeating it like a mantra, the tears finally breaking free and running down his face.

"We'll help you," Charles said, coming closer and steadying Remy's hands. "Just relax. We'll do this together, one step at a time." He sent out gentle thoughts and watched in surprise as Remy flinched away from him.

Gambit hadn't reacted to the thoughts, it was the vibrations that had come with them. He was teetering badly here and hadn't been ready for it. He knew the Professor was trying to comfort him and hadn't wanted to react like that, but his nerves were too raw. "S-sorry," he stammered lamely. "Jus' a little tired."

"Remy...This may not seem like the time, but I want to ask you something," the Professor said, taking hold of one of Gambit's slender wrists. "Rogue mentioned something about Kimble...that you said he changed you."

"She say many t'ings, not all of dem so true," Remy snapped bitterly, silently cursing her for telling his secrets.

"Remy, please. I'm not trying to argue with you, I'm trying to help you. If Kimble has affected you, made you more...empathic...than you may have been before, I'd like to help you deal with it. The first step is admitting that maybe you've got a problem."

Like Logan in the Baltimore restaurant, Charles was aware that there was something not quite right with his thief. Gambit wasn't bouncing back from all of these emotional shocks with is usual grace and ease. He needed some help and guidance.

"Je suis bien... I'm okay," Gambit said with a sigh. He took a deep hit off of his cigarette and relaxed, turning his head away to keep the smoke from his boss. "It's jus' dat I ain't figured it all out yet. I-I need some time..dat's all."

Charles gave his wrist a squeeze. "I just want you to know that you're not alone. There are ways to block it out. I know you can do it, you've done a fine job with every telepath in the place, but empathy can be different. Emotions run high here, you're stressing out. Running away and drinking until you vomit isn't going to help you. Patience will. Patience and letting others help you."

Remy closed his eyes and shivered, feeling the vibration of loving concern come at him again. "D'accorde, patron. Okay. Gambit won' run. He stay awhile longer, mebbe work dis out, neh?"

Charles smiled. "Good. Now stop bothering with that jacket, it's ruined. Have a hot shower and get some sleep. I want Henry to give you something to help you sleep, no whiskey tonight."

"Yes, dad," Gambit said with genuine affection.

"And put out that cigarette."

"Yes, dad," Gambit repeated, laughing softly, and obediently crushed it out. He watched as the Professor rolled out and started talking to Henry, glancing in his direction. Remy could see he wasn't going to get out of whatever they had planned for him and wasn't sure he wanted to. He needed to sleep. He needed to feel alive again. He needed to find Kimble.

He cleaned up and dressed in some sweats Henry had around. He staggered over to a bed and let Henry inject him. He lay down and after a few minutes felt the most pleasant buzz wrap around his brain. His eyes were almost closed when he saw a slender white figure come into view. He felt Seth take his hand and whisper gently in his ear. "I'm glad you're home."

"Sorry 'bout yo' brother, mon petit fils," he replied in a hoarse whisper.

"You tried. It didn't work out," the pilot replied softly, forgiving him.

Gambit was fully relaxed and felt the vibration of love that came from Seth. That and the hero worship. It was startling in its intensity and he could have done without it. He didn't deserve it. All he had done was let Kimble down.

"We'll find him together, you and me," Seth said. "I've already started tracking this Sabretooth guy down. I'll find him and you'll go get him."

"Dat's a promise," Remy said, his eyes no longer staying open.

"I'll talk to you about it tomorrow. Sleep."

Gambit garbled something unintelligible in French and slipped away. Seth stayed as he was, listening to the thief's soft breathing. What he had said was true. He had already set up a trap, a net for Creed. If he did anything electronically, Seth would find him. He would find that bastard and send this shining knight out to kill him. It was the only thing that would satisfy. He finally withdrew as silently as he had come and closed the curtain around the bed.


	10. Chapter 10

(Ten)

Logan gasped and wheezed as he slowly became aware. He had been out cold for almost two days and was only just now waking up. He had been watched over in amazement while his body healed and his flesh regenerated. He was far from recovered and wouldn't be for some time, even his healing factor had limits. He had been dreaming most of the time, his brain bathed in a fog of bright white light. He thought for sure he must have died and wept then, cursing the thought that he'd found someone to love only to die before they had any time. As he awoke, there was only one thought on his mind. "Karen...?" he wheezed. His chest was so heavy and he coughed from his words, unable to breathe.

He felt Henry near him and a glass was pressed to his lips. He took a sip of water and felt it slide down his burning throat. Ah...that was better. He opened his eyes a little. He couldn't see much, just a large blue blur.

"Karen?" he called out again.

"She's sleeping," Henry replied. "She spent most of the past two days at your side. I'll wake her in a moment. Just relax."

Beast had had a very busy couple of days. He couldn't recall the last time he had seen Logan so badly abused. He had missed out on seeing Logan set on fire by Sabretooth and was grateful for it on so many levels. Logan was uncouth, at times rude and arrogant, but he had been on this team for so long and showed his heroism so solidly from the first day he'd arrived, all else had been forgotten. It had been difficult patching Wolverine back together, worrying if this might finally be the end of the man, but at the same time, Henry found himself peeking under the bandages, wanting to see that flesh grow back by itself. It had fascinated him endlessly, though it made him feel a little guilty. He knew Logan was a person and not a specimen. He was glad when most of Logan's skin sealed itself over and the healing was done on the inside where it was hidden, it kept him from temptation. He then devoted his time to bringing Logan whatever comforts he had available – keeping him warm and hydrated and clean and as free from pain as possible.

Wolverine had been oblivious to the whole thing. He recalled very little of what had happened to him, but some blurry images were coming to mind. He recalled seeing Remy's face spattered with blood, forgetting that it had been his own. "Cajun...?"

"He's fine. Take it easy," Henry replied, patting his shoulder a little.

"I-I... was...sh-shot..?"

"Yes. I've had the pleasure of removing most of the bullets. I could have taken out more, but heh, you know, the flesh they went into was no longer attached to you," Beast joked wryly. "The things you put me through, my friend."

"Cajun?" Wolverine repeated, his foggy brain trying to focus. What had happened to him? He remembered the bank and then there was some kind of blurry nightmare. He'd been trapped with a monster. Impossible to think he'd been this injured and no one else was as well.

"Sorry, he didn't have a single one. None of the others did."

Logan grunted, puzzled and coughed. "How?"

"**La ShaRain natay LaRoo**," Remy said in accented Siskan from beside him.

"What?" Logan wheezed, turning his head in his direction. He blinked woozily and saw a Remy shaped blur. He blinked again and the image came in to focus. It had been a couple of days and Remy had slept well thanks to a big blast of tranquilizers Henry had shot him up with each night. He felt good and it showed on his face. He was washed and dressed casually in a loose T-shirt and jeans.

"My Guardian Angel," Remy repeated in English.

"Kimble..?"

"Loves me," Remy finished for him, a small smile stealing across his lips. "Too bad 'e don' feel so sure 'bout you, ey? P'etetre, it's time you two made up."

Logan coughed and turned away. "Asshole."

"Leave us alone a minute, 'Enry?" Remy requested. "I wanna say sumptin' private."

"All right. Just don't upset him too much. He's still pretty weak."

"Sometime's dat's de best time. When 'e's too tired t' turn away."

Henry nodded and left without speaking.

"I all ready know what yer gonna say."

"Do you? I don t'ink so, mon ami. Time ta get rid of what's come 'tween you an Kimble, Logan. Zander, 'e lock 'imself up wit you, blown you' all to bits. De Punisher, 'e spank you wit four clips of top caliber bullets, patron. Dat's a man wit sumptin' on 'is mind. How about you tell me what it is?"

"I ain't got no clue," Wolverine lied. He was coming back to reality now. The fog was lifting.

"Liar. What's your dark secret, Logan?" Remy demanded, using Anya's words. He was all done with waiting. He wanted to find Kimble and decided the best way to do that was start at the beginning. The conversation he'd had with the Professor had given him an idea on just how to do that.

Wolverine coughed again. "Ferget it. I ain't discussin' that with you."

"Talkin' to me is like talkin' to 'im. Gambit been inside 'is 'ead. Gambit know what dat boy is t'inkin'," Remy said ominously, removing his gloves.

"I don't think so," Logan said warily, backing away against the headboard. He didn't like the way Gambit was looking at him now, but was too badly injured to go far.

Gambit came very close to Logan, sitting down on the bed. He leaned over his teammate, pinning him down with his eyes. He placed his now bare hands on Logan's shoulders, laying his body across Logan's chest to use his weight to hold him down. Logan was much too weak to resist him. Remy bored into Logan's wide and protesting eyes with his own, seeking that which Kimble had found. He put his face very close to Logan's, their lips almost touching, and breathed his air, smelling the fluids that still leaked from him.

Logan squirmed and tried to pull away, but he had become mesmerized, ensnared by the strangest of sensations coming from Gambit's bare hands on his skin. He could feel vibrations coming from Remy and flowing into his body. It wasn't unpleasant, but frightened him because he had felt this before when Kimble had kissed him. He was in no condition to resist the spell and part of him howled inside because he knew Remy was going to find out.

Remy had let go with his mind, using it consciously for the first time, willing this to happen. He chose not to fight what Kimble had done to him any longer, but now tried to use it to get what he wanted. He was demanding Logan's dark secret, the one that had shattered Kimble like glass, and he would have it. He looked into Logan with all of Kimble's insight and intuition, using his eyes and his heightened sense of touch. He shivered slightly as Logan's shine burst out all around him, whispering its secrets in a voice so low he almost couldn't make it out. He felt it as Logan began to tremble and sensed his fear. It was the contact he was afraid of. The intimate contact...

Being very sensitive and clever himself before Kimble had mysteriously opened this door in his brain and given him this not always so wonderful gift, Remy managed to figure out the rest. He jerked away with a startled gasp, bringing a hand to his mouth. "Oh! Je suis de'sole! I'm so sorry... Christ!" He crossed himself quickly without thinking. He wasn't really a practicing Catholic, but years of Catholic school was hard to ignore.

Logan sat up stiffly, freed now. He ignored the pain from his injuries, and stood up with a loud grunt. He backed Remy up against the wall, his teeth breaking out in a silent angry sneer. He popped a hand full of claws and brought them right up to Remy's eyes. "You breathe a word of it to anyone...I'll do ya worse than I did to the other guy, you understandin' me?"

Remy composed himself and nodded. "What did you say to Kimble, Logan?"

"The truth."

Remy cocked his head, regaining some of his earlier confidence. "Kimble would never 'urt you dat way. What you t'inkin'?"

"Really?" Logan wheezed with angry sarcasm. "What he done tells me diff'rent."

"What did 'e do?"

Logan backed off, sheathing his claws, and sat back down on the bed heavily. He was exhausted and couldn't stand up anymore. He ignored the question and squirmed back into the bed, covering up.

Remy continued to scrutinize Logan, knowing he would have to pull teeth on this one. "Gambit keeps 'is secrets. None of dis is goin' anywhere."

Logan closed his eyes and grunted a laugh. He gave it up, knowing that in his weakened state, Remy could just rip it from him anyway. He didn't want Gambit that close to him again. It was unnerving. He chuckled as he relaxed and said, "He kissed me and I almost bit his face off."

Remy snickered, not needing anything more. "Was 'e high?"

"Yeah. That plasma shit. He was really wasted."

"I tol' you 'e wouldn't 'urt you. Let me guess, you was all beat up an 'e wanted to take your pain."

Logan shuddered with revulsion at the memory, he couldn't help it. Gambit's use of the same phrase only added to Gambit's credibility when he said he knew Kimble well. "He won't be tryin' it again any time soon."

" 'E's not tryin' to 'urt you. 'E only wants you to like 'im."

Logan snorted. "Oh? Like he wanted Bruce to like him? I saw the files. That was just sick how he was shovin' himself on Bruce like that."

"Bruce was playin' 'im. Playin' 'im bad. You can't fuck wit Kimble when 'e's like dat. 'E was self destructin', just like 'e is now."

"Yer boy ain't never stopped self destructin', Gumbo. Yer just too hung up on him ta see it. What about Holly and Bobby? You got some kind of excuse for them, too?"

"Dat one's easy. 'E was reachin' out. You put 'im in a box. 'E was reachin' out to the first t'ing 'e saw dat didn' look at 'im like you do." Gambit waited a moment to see if Logan would argue, but the man just lay there quiet. "All 'e wants is what you never gave 'im. Acceptance. Comprenez? 'E needs dat more dan de sex and all de playin' around 'e does. I know dis, you know I do! You seen what happened to me! Dat's what 'e was showin' me in dose files, not 'ow great it was bein' fucked in de ass!" he finished in an angry, trembling voice as he was suddenly overcome with emotion.

Logan looked at him sharply. He hadn't taken the time to fully digest what he had seen there up on that screen when Kimble's files had been played back for all to see. Logan realized now that to a point, Remy had walked partway down the same road he had been taken with Crazy John. Gambit had been taken against his will and subjected to treatment that was hard for a straight man to swallow. Difference was, Remy's little trip had been laced with Kimble's respect and trust, even a little love. It was Kimble's intention to pleasure Gambit along with the lesson he had been trying to teach. It hadn't been meant to hurt and maim as Logan's was. Wolverine had seen the playback, saw how Gambit had reacted when the pleasure room file was done. He had seen the fear and bewilderment that had been on Gambit's face without fully understanding what had just happened to his teammate. Yet when Kimble had touched him after, when they lay on the grass, Gambit hadn't moved away from his impromptu host. Kimble had reached out to Remy with love and the Cajun had accepted it, accepted what had just been done to him. He had to admire Gambit's courage.

He swallowed heavily and let Remy have his moment. "All right, I'm listenin'."

Remy sniffed and looked away. His hands shook a little as he wiped the wetness from his eyes. "All 'e wants is acceptance. Unconditional acceptance. You gave it to Fallen and you gave it to Seth. You even gave it to Molly de firs' day she came but you never gave it to 'im, not once. Dat ain't fair! He don' want your love, 'e don' want you to fuck him, 'e just want you to look at 'im wit your eyes an not your fists. See him, Logan. Look at me, an' see 'im. We are de same."

Logan nodded slowly and closed his eyes. "We have to find him. Creed's gonna give him over to Jael. Who knows what'll happen to him after that."

"How we gonna find Jael?"

"You were right about the Morlock tunnels. I was there, Jael took me while you were gone. I'd know the smell anywhere."

"Jael took you?" Gambit gasped and stepped back a pace. There hadn't been any time for anyone to bring him up to date on all that had happened while he had been gone and he had no clue about any of this. The thought of Jael nabbing them at will like this was unsettling.

"Don't worry, Henry checked me out. I didn't bring home any little presents. He wanted to learn everything I knew about Kimble so he had a telepath go through my head. I was there long enough to think you were right to go lookin' where ya were. I wanna go back, see if maybe I can figure out how he managed to give you the slip."

"You want some comp'ny? Promise not to bring no bad guys wit me dis time," Remy joked weakly, keeping his eyes down.

"You can run the tunnels with me any time, boy. I told ya b'fore. Yer debt's been paid. Speakin' of which, you get Kyle?"

Remy shook his head. "Saby wasted 'im. He stay alive long enough to give me dis." He held up a bunch of keys.

"What's that?"

"Safe deposit box. He give me de number, said de key is on 'ere."

"You tell Fury?"

"Non. Wanted to see what was in dere firs'. See if it was a waste of time."

"Let me talk to Fury. I gotta give him somethin' for helpin' us. He's probably all pissed off."

"Fair enough. Dere's a lotta keys 'ere."

"Maybe we'll just have to see how many locks they go into." Logan said with a mischievous grin.

Gambit grinned. "I like yo' style, patron."

"We're gonna get Kimble back."

"Gambit knows, he knows. Jus' 'ope it don' take too long. Dat boy worries me sumptin' awful. Who knows what Creed's gonna do to 'im fore 'e 'ands 'im over," Remy said, retreating. He paced a little, worried now. He was still that parent who's child has been stolen from him. At least he knew Kimble was alive.

Logan sighed and closed his eyes. He was filled with flashbacks from his service days. He knew Creed pretty well. Well enough to know whatever Creed might do to Kimble, it was probably going to be pretty bad. He casually wondered if Kimble could tolerate being raped, if Kimble would see forced sex that way or if he'd just go along with it. He didn't voice his thoughts but said instead, "Maybe Creed'll hand him over quick, take his money and bug out. He ain't one ta stay in one place too long. Got too many folks lookin' for him. Fury'd give all his teeth ta have that boy in his lock up."

Remy nodded, still pacing. He made a vow to keep looking, that he would never give up until Kimble was home. He looked up as Henry returned with Karen and then slipped out, letting Logan have time with his girl. They had said all they needed to anyway --- for now. There was more, he knew that. Knowledge of a crime against Logan wasn't enough for Kimble to break. Not that and a bite to the face. No, Logan had said something afterwards. Something bad. Remy knew he would have to find out, but it could wait. Now Logan needed time to heal. If the furball didn't cough it up, well, maybe he would just lay his hands on him again. Maybe Kimble's little gift had its uses after all.

Gambit went out into the hallway, surprised to see a small group of X-men gathered there. They broke up as he came out, leaving him alone with Warren who was still hanging around the Lab, sniffing around for news on Logan. The two men eyed each other warily. "You put up quite a fight de other day, mon ami," Remy said, remembering the battle that had taken place over Bishop's safehouse. "Kicked some serious ass."

"Thanks. Nice to know I can still kick some butt when I have to." Warren replied, being oddly thoughtful. "I'm sorry about Kimble. I'm sure it was painful to have to leave him behind."

_You 'ave no idea, mon ami._ "Yeah, well. We gonna get him back."

"I heard you guys thought maybe Jael was hiding out in the old Morlock tunnels. That...that you went over every inch of them looking for him. That must have been...difficult."

Remy cocked his head, surprised to hear Warren speak to him with such candor. Warren was shifting uncomfortably. Gambit knew warren to be like Cyclops, the emotionless stoic leader who never revealed anything. But now Gambit could see that Angel was having a difficult time with his feelings, flexing his wings and fidgeting.

"Sumptin' on yo' mind, Angel?"

Warren shrugged, trying to make it look casual. "It's just that I know you wouldn't have done it if Kimble didn't mean anything to you. People around here say that you don't care about anybody... maybe it isn't really true."

Remy's eyes widened. Warren Worthington the Third, millionaire playboy and one of Xavier's darlings, acknowledging that the notorious thief, Remy LeBeau might not be so bad? Good grief, what was this world coming to? "Don' b'lieve everyt'ing you 'ear, flyboy," Remy teased, anxious to maintain his scandalous reputation. He wouldn't be a LeBeau without it.

"Well, if you need any help...if you find anything out... I'd be happy to help you. No one deserves to be in Sabretooth's company. He's...he's..."

"We bot' know Gambit knows just what 'e is," Remy replied stiffly, being harsher than he intended. It's just that he was so worried Kimble would come to harm and still felt guilty for having failed him again.

Warren gave him a pained smile. "I guess you would at that." He straightened and started to walk away.

"Espe're! Wait! Wait..." Remy stammered, and grinned when the winged man turned back to look at him. "T'anks fo' your offer. I'm sure dat's one favor we gonna cash in. Merci."

Warren smiled at him and it softened the look of his face. He was just a blond mutant, not much older than Remy himself, and just as fragile. "No problem."

Gambit watched him leave, thinking on just how strange life was. He had lost someone who was very dear to him from his own stupidity, been rejected by his girl --- again --- yet was finding people reaching out to him from directions he hadn't expected. Was he changing, or were they? Maybe they'd been there all this time and he was the one not paying attention. It was true that feeling the vibrations of the folks around him was making him more aware of them and what they were feeling. Kimble's gift, the burden and the new skill on his ladder of growth. A curse and a joy perhaps? Kimble seemed to enjoy it, but the pilot had much better control of it than he had.

Kimble. Kimble. Kimble. Lord have mercy, the vacancy there in his heart was huge. He paced some more, stopping at the soda machine. He rapped a button and took his can, his eyes seeming to notice the redness of the machine as if for the first time. Kimble had loved red. Remy shivered a little. He closed his eyes, bringing the ice cold can of soda to the back of his neck and leaving it there, feeling its coldness seep into him. He concentrated, hard, thinking that maybe if he just reached out far enough, he could see where Kimble was. _Where you at, little brother? Gambit needs to hear from you so bad, _he couldn't help but think. His inquiry brought him no answers, nor did his meager use of power.

He sighed and opened the can, drinking it down quickly. He belched, long and deep and turned when he heard Molly standing in the doorway of the gym laughing at him. Her eyes were bright with amusement.

"You like dat, chere? You should see what comes outta my ass. It's a real treat."

_**I'm sure.** _She signed, still laughing. **_What are you doing out here all alone?_**

"Not much, just t'inkin'."

_**You look so sad. Maybe you're thinking too much.**_

"Mebbe. You got sumtpin' better in mind?" he mouth responded before his brain could catch it. It was an automatic reply, one that was hardwired in his brain and beyond his ability to remove. Molly was a girl sure, but she was so young. He figured she couldn't be more than sixteen.

Molly just laughed again.** _Sure. X-Files are on in fifteen minutes. Care to join me?_**

Remy cocked his head, intrigued. X-files was one of his favorite shows and something he used to enjoy back when he had a semi-normal life. Back before the ill fated trip to Cerise and the rough tumbling of Kimble into his life. Truth was, he could really use the distraction. "Sure, chere. But only if we make one of dem little frozen pizza thingies. Gambit's hungry."

_**Only if I get to put extra pepperoni on it. They never put enough, you know.**_

Gambit was grinning now. A girl after his own heart. "Si bien, petite," he replied and gave her his arm. She took it and they headed to the elevator, giggling a little now. They had their pizza and watched their show, having a good time. His spirits were lifted by doing this simple thing, just enjoying TV show with a friend, and it dispelled the gloom in his heart more than any of Henry's drugs. His thoughts kept straying back to Kimble now and again, in spite of his fun. He wished he knew where the pilot was and prayed that he wasn't in too much trouble. He could have no way of knowing that Kimble's life would now be forever changed once more and his right along with it.

To be continued in Master, Beloved.


End file.
